It Isn't Stalking If You Don't Get Caught
by Little Miss Whitlock
Summary: Edward, Emmett and Jasper travel across the border to meet starlets Bella, Alice and Rosalie at a fan convention. What antics will these fanboys come up with as they prepare to meet the girls of their dreams? Collab. btw. JustForkIt & Little Miss Whitlock
1. It could be different with me

**Disclaimer: We, sadly, do not own Twilight or its characters. We do, however, own our twisted senses of humor.**

[ Edward ]

It was three in the morning and the apartment was quiet except for the occasional snoring grunt from my brother, who was currently slumped in his chair drooling, the bowl of Captain Crunch he had been eating tipped precariously in his hand.

Four hours ago we had been tipped off that a new clip from the upcoming _CA_ movie was going to hit the internet tonight, and I was determined to get it on my website before anyone else. If I did, that could mean millions of hits before anyone else.

I drummed my fingers against the desk, my eyes burning from lack of sleep and staring at the computer screen for hours on end, smiling when my iTunes started playing a familiar song. The sweet melodic harmony made my eyelids heavy and I fought to keep them open.

The sound of Bella Swan, one of the leads in the _CA_ series of movies, softly singing and strumming her guitar, made my chest tighten. When Jasper called and told me he had heard she was putting not one but _two_ original tracks on the movie soundtrack, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. The only records I had been able to find of her singing were extremely low quality recordings from people seeing her at open-mic nights, long before she became famous.

With another heavy sigh I clicked the refresh button on the page and before me was the exclusive clip from _Carlisle's Angels_. I gave a quick yell that made my brother jump, the contents of his cereal bowl spilling all over himself and the carpet.

"It's up! Emmett, it's up! Call Jasper!" I ordered as I began typing furiously.

My brother tipped his chair over backwards in his attempts to get up, and crawled to the phone. I heard him dialing, and when he put it on speaker phone, the familiar callback tone of 'Magic Man' by Heart flooded our living room.

"You said you wouldn't start it until we were all ready, Dick-face!" Emmett tipped his chair upright again and pulled it next to mine.

I shook my head. "I didn't start it yet, Emmett."

"Hello?" Jasper Whitlock grumbled into the phone, voice thick with sleep.

"Dude, it's up!" Emmett roared as he picked up bits of soggy cereal off the floor and popped them into his mouth.

We heard the creaking of bed springs, Ann, Jasper's girlfriend, complaining that we had called too early, and Jasper telling her it was a work emergency.

"Hold on, I'm turning on my computer," Jasper said, and you could hear the phone rubbing against his chin.

"I told you to leave it on, douchebag. Now we have to wait on you," Emmett grumbled, leaning back in his chair in frustration. "And nice lie, Jasper—who the fuck has a work emergency at three a.m. with a radio station?"

"Ann was using the computer before she went to bed and shut it off," Jasper said, trying to defend himself. We could hear a typing sound as he furiously typed his password to log on. "Anyway, shut the hell up, at least I don't babysit old people all day."

"I don't babysit, jackass, I am a security guard," Emmett corrected with authority.

Jasper laughed quietly. "You are a security guard at an old folk's home!"

"I swear to God, Jasper Whitlock if you were here right now—"

"Will both of you just shut the fuck up?! " I groaned, anxious to see the clip. Emmett looked down guiltily at his lap before mumbling an apology. "I've already put it up on the site, so let me know when you're ready," I told Jasper, ignoring Emmett's reproachful stare.

"You said you wouldn't watch it without all of us," Jasper whined.

"I didn't freaking watch it yet, God!" I pushed Emmett's grubby hand off of the back of my chair and waited for Jasper to give me the green light.

"Okay, I'm ready. You ready?" He asked in an excited girly voice.

Emmett pushed his chair even closer to mine, his fat head less than five inches away from the monitor.

"On the count of three. Ready? One… two… three!" I clicked the play button and together the three of us took a collective breath.

My eyes widened as the three most beautiful women I had ever seen filled the computer monitor in front of me. Each one of them were distinctively different, yet all of them stunningly gorgeous.

Bella Swan, also known as Kate in the movies, had long brown curls that stopped just above her supple ass. She was small in size, but her personality on screen made up for it. Her eyes were a hypnotizing chocolate brown that could pierce directly to your soul. She was the ring leader, the organizer, and one hell of a kisser from what I could tell by her movies.

Alice Brandon, a petite firecracker that only stood about five foot and maybe an inch, was Jasper's object of desire. She was Jane, the quick-thinker and the one that normally held the group together. Her spiky black hair was recognizable all over the world, as were her majestic grey eyes.

Last but certainly not least was Rosalie Hale, or Victoria. Rosalie was a bombshell and she knew it—she showed it in the way she walked and talked. She was the bitchy one that everyone knew not to mess with. She could dismantle a bomb in less than twenty five seconds with a q-tip and a pair of tweezers. Her blonde hair and blue eyes had Emmett panting in one point three seconds flat.

Together the three of them made one kickass team of superheroes that were _Carlisle's Angels_. The books had started as a spinoff of _Charlie's Angels_ from the seventies and over the past two years had become very lucrative movies. The first movie placed all three of them in the spotlight and they hadn't vacated it since.

"Holy shit, look at her ass," Emmett whispered and laughed as Rosalie punched a bad guy in the back of the head, looking haughty and HOT all at once.

Emmett had a "thing" for Rosalie; I think it was because he knew she could probably kick his ass if she had to, and he liked that idea. Jasper's affection switched between Alice and Bella. The fact that Bella was a musician in real life made his rocks hard, but Alice made his eyes light up like a fat kid seeing cake. As for me—Bella Swan was it; I didn't need to look any further than her doe eyes to know that she was something special.

Sure, millions of people fantasized over them (granted it was mostly teenage boys), but in the back of my mind I had a feeling that I was different. I knew if I ever had the chance to meet Bella she would see I wasn't like the rest of the screaming idiots who'd send her naked pictures or hung around her house in LA hoping for a quick glimpse of her. It could be different for the two of us, if we ever had the chance.

The three of us watched the clip four more times, each time adding our own commentary and pointing out information in the background. After the fifth time, all three of us became silent. I looked at Emmett as he looked at me, and we both looked at the phone.

"We have to do it," Jasper said, whispering, hoping Ann wouldn't hear him.

"I agree. If I have to, I won't eat anything but crackers," Emmett nodded at the phone before looking back at me. "What do you say, Edward?"

I looked back at the screen; the last shot of the clip of all three of the girls together paused on the large monitor. _If I could just meet her, I really think I could have a chance._ I believed that with my whole heart. So in the end I decided, _what the hell did I have to lose?_

"I'm in," I said with a smile. Emmett gave me a high five before jumping out of his chair and doing some sort of kung-foo dance move.

"So that's that?" Jasper asked in a hushed whisper that teetered on excitement and hysterics.

"That's it boys—we are going to VanCon," I said happily.

The three of us would make the trip across the Canadian border to go to the Vancouver Convention and meet Bella, Alice and Rosalie. I smiled in satisfaction, elated with our decision.

I was positive that one way or another, this trip was going to change our lives.

******

**LMW:** Okay, I know…I have too much on my "fanfic plate" right now. I shouldn't be posting something new. But charlsad and I were joking around about all this and it just…_clicked_. This story is **not** meant to offend anyone—hell, I'm guilty of half, if not more than half, of all the stuff these guys do. Where do you think the experiences come from? *giggles*

**Charlsad:** Ok ok now everyone take a step back and realize that we all do this crazy ass shit and that in real life it really is hilarious. I hope we get some positive feedback from this little intro because Little Miss Whitlock and I have a lot more to share. Thanks for reading and hope you like it!!

**P.S**. This one goes out to our Diana (Hammondgirl). We love you long time.

We've got twitters! Charlsad (JustForkIt) and Little Miss Whitlock (melsvfp) if you wanna follow us.

**Reviews make us as giddy as these guys seeing the new **_**Carlisle's Angels**_** clip!**


	2. Pics or it didn't happen

**Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight, or its characters, but we do own some of these fandom habits. Eek.**

[ Emmett ]

Who loves mornings? I love mornings. So many great things in life are associated with early AM goodness. I mean, cereal alone has its own column on the 'breakfast foods kickass' chart. Not to mention things like pancakes, syrup, chocolate milk, waffles and obviously morning wood. Nothing said 'it's gonna be a fucking great day' like rubbing one out in the shower. _Just sayin'._

I was a morning person, while my white slice brother, however, was not. I ignored his moody stares as I whistled the theme song from _Gilligan's Island_ and fixed myself a nice bowl of Captain Crunch mixed with a couple of crushed up Rice Krispie treats. Seriously, this was the "Breakfast of Champions."

"Canada, fool!" I said before shoving a spoon full of 'Emmett approved' awesomeness in my mouth. I really was excited about this trip. Not just because of the chance to meet Rosalie Hale, but Canada was just fun. Their cops rode horses for fuck's sake, and do I even need to mention Canadian bacon?

Edward only nodded and went back to typing. Now I could handle a computer, but all the high tech, geek-squad bullshit that he was into just flew right over my head. It didn't really bother me when Jasper and Edward went all hardcore computer science on my ass, though. It was normally followed by some pretty sweet pictures of the mega-delicious Rosalie Hale, and that normally lead to a chubby. _Just sayin'._

Now I didn't buy into the whole _Carlisle's Angels_ bullshit at first. Edward basically begged me to go to the midnight showing of their first movie because his ass didn't want to go alone. Since then, I had thought of nothing else but how fan-fucking-tastic it would be to just bend that sweet ass over the back of the couch, or the table, or the hood of my car, in the back seat of my car… basically anywhere. Even the bathroom at the Burger King didn't sound too terrible. _Plus, we could get a snack after. Hey, we each have our own fantasies—don't judge mine. _

So, after Edward had gotten me tied to the _CA_ bandwagon, I did what every other teenage hormonal asshole was doing—I cyber-stalked the shit out of those chicks. So what if I was twenty-four and the rest of those assholes were probably fifteen, I was closer in age range to the girls and therefore, stood a better chance. Plus, I didn't run the risk of my mom busting in on me rubbing one out like those fuckers.

Edward was the one who was always up to date; I guess he had to be for his website. He would send text updates during the day while Jasper and I were _actually_ working. Edward got paid to sit on his ass and Google shit all day for some site called Chi-Chi or Cha-Cha—something that sounded like a nickname for a vagina.

Anyway, Edward was the one that got all of us hooked on the Angel hotness. To be perfectly honest, I had been a bit worried that my little brother might have been gay, until he started sporting permanent wood for that Bella chick. She was alright, but I liked a little cushin' for the pushin' if you know what I'm sayin'. Edward lived and breathed all things _CA_, which was fine by me. He had a hobby and supplied me with plenty of images for the spank bank and that was good enough for me.

Jasper was a closet _CA_ freak. He hid it from everyone he knew, including his live-in girlfriend, Ann. I asked him once if he pictured Alice while he was banging away on Ann. Instead of an answer, I got a black eye. That kid pined for Alice Brandon in a way that was more sad than pathetic and we all knew it; Jasper just wouldn't admit to it. I knew that he prayed every damn day his promotional job at the radio station would eventually get him in Alice's path. As it was, his job provided us with free copies of the DVD's and soundtracks. Edward still insisted on buying the actual album and DVD's to help support the ladies, mainly Bella Swan, but so far this job hadn't lead to anything more than a signed movie poster that we had all fought over. That poster was now framed and hanging above the fireplace at mine and Edward's apartment, serving as a shrine to the women we all lusted after and probably didn't have a snowball's chance in hell at getting. _I kept it real._

So all in all I had a pretty cush life. I was a security guard at the Sunny Oaks Retirement Center here in Olympia, and always mentioned to the boss-man that he really needed to rename it 'Cloudy Oaks.' It got a laugh every time because those people just loved me. Every day I would dress in my all-white uniform (Jasper said I looked like an ice cream man) and drove my pimp ass El Camino to work. I sat at a desk with a rundown computer that I would use to cyber-stalk my luscious lady. That would take up a few hours, then I would go play bingo with a few of the old timers before herding them into the cafeteria for some of the most God-awful food I had ever eaten—and I would eat just about anything.

A couple of the oldies, Phil and Mack, were really a pair of ninety year old pimps. They made the ladies blush and giggle and I had to admit, I admired the hell out of them. Aside from Jesus, those guys were my heroes—I wanted to be just like them when I was ninety.

I would tease them every now and then with a magazine clipping or something that showed Rosalie and her chub-worthy cleavage. I had thought about bringing up the pictures of her in a bikini on some beach in Hawaii, but decided against it; being the cause of one of the residents to have a heart attack probably wouldn't be so awesome.

"We've got a checkers tournament planned in two months, kid. I think Wanda said around the fifteenth," Phil told me while smacking his mashed potatoes between his gums. His 'false chompers' were sitting on his tray looking both disgusting and awesome all at once. I had a strange desire to play with them, but resisted the urge.

I had been Phil's checkers partner for the past two years, and every year we dominated that shit. I was sort of bummed that this year would break tradition.

"Sorry Phil, I'll be on vacation," I told him as I kept my eye on Norman Castleford who had a habit of trying sneak out of the unit while everyone was busy eating their dinner. I had once chased that fucker almost a mile before his hip finally gave out on him and he had been forced to stop. The next day he threw his Jello in my face.

"Vacation, huh? You going somewhere nice? Florida, maybe?" Mack asked with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. He was constantly asking me to make a trip to Florida and bring back pictures of all the bikini-clad girls on the beach. I love that old perv.

"Nah, I am going to Vancouver with my brother and another guy to go meet my lady." I leaned back in my chair and folded my hands behind my head.

"Gonna meet your Rosie, eh?" Phil wiped his mouth and plopped his 'chompers' back in his mouth. "Too bad you have to go all the way to Canada for it."

I won't even lie, when he called her my Rosie my junk twitched with excitement. This was going to be one hell of a trip and one way or another I was going to snag Rosalie Hale.

That might make me sound like a creep, but if I was going to be pulling overtime the next two months just to pay off the credit card Edward had maxed out to get us tickets, then I was sure as hell going to at least get the broad to talk to me. If her hand ended up in my pants or my head landed between her legs, then so be it. I would gladly take one for the team. _Just sayin'._

When I got home that night, Jasper was chilling on a beanbag with his laptop in front of him while he and Edward were in a deep discussion about something, and the printer was spitting out pages like I spit out one-liners, _hey-oh!_

"Sup' fuckers?" I asked, throwing my keys onto the counter and helping myself to a beer. When neither one of them answered me I knew something was up.

"Did something happen? Why didn't I get a text update?" I asked after throwing my bottle cap into the sink. I did a half-trot back into the living room, hoping that maybe some new cleavage shots had appeared.

"There is a new fanfic that is causing a big commotion," Edward said as he threw me a copy of whatever it was he had printed out.

Fanfiction really was not my thing. It mostly consisted of people writing lame-ass sex scenes and a lot of really boring dialogue, but some were actually really fucking hot. It was word porn, and I would be a liar if I said that a few scenes from those weren't in the spank bank as well.

I flipped through the pages, not really seeing anything that stood out. It was the same old shit, 'his beautiful, magnificent schlong' yadda-yadda. I am a dude and have no problem admitting that my penis is not beautiful—magnificent yes—but not beautiful. A penis was ugly and they all looked fucked up; I had no idea why these ladies pictured it as always being beautiful.

"So, what's the big deal?" I asked and fell down into my recliner and threw back a swig of beer.

"This is a fanfic about Jacob Black and Bella Swan," Jasper said and gave a stealth nod in the direction of Edward who was concentrating on what he was reading, his face growing redder by the second. Not a good sign.

Jacob Black, a douche in my opinion, played James in the _CA_ series. James was the love interest of Bella Swan's character and for the past few months the rumor mill had been producing nothing but reports about the two of them actually dating in real life.

"Pics or it didn't happen," I said, but Edward continued ignoring me.

Did I think the rumors were true? No. I was almost positive that Jacob Black was in fact gay; his eyebrows were impeccably waxed as were his chest and stomach; now, I am sorry, but that shit just ain't normal for a dude. I was tidy and willing to trim on occasion like most other guys, but waxing was something I was not down with.

_Ever. _

Edward was always willing to knife any bitch who even mentioned that Jacob and Bella's relationship was anything more than a rumor. He would spend hours on end arguing the fact that Bella was just 'not into someone like him.' Although Jasper and I would do nothing but agree with him, he still got pissed and spent hours complaining.

He would dive head first into the IMDb message boards under a fake ID and begin bashing anyone who even remotely agreed with the fact that off-screen, the two of them were anything more than just friends. At the last midnight showing, some teenage chick had mentioned that she thought they made a cute couple and Edward had pretty much made her cry. I would be lying if I said I wasn't just a little proud.

So I finished my beer, settled back into my chair and prepared for a long night of Edward's ranting, Jasper's pitiful looks at the Alice Brandon picture above the fireplace, and my inward struggle of what the hell I was going to be eating for dinner. It was a hard life, but someone had to do it.

**********

[ Jasper ]

I was crunching on a bagel and cream cheese while reading the newspaper when Ann walked in the kitchen.

"Everything alright at the station?" she asked, opening the cupboard and grabbing a glass.

I nodded. "Yep, just wanted my opinion on something."

"At three in the morning?" I heard her open the fridge and pull out something which she poured in the glass.

"Yep."

"What would they want your opinion on at three in the morning?"

I swallowed—hard. "Uh, they got some new contest ideas and wanted to run them by me."

"But you're going in to work today at 9…couldn't it have waited?"

_Shit_, I thought. Ann was bound and determined to catch me in a lie about this radio station. I stuffed down the rest of my bagel and folded up the newspaper. I threw my plate in the dishwasher and kissed her on the cheek. "Probably; I have to go—don't want to be late for the meeting."

I practically ran out the door and hopped into my truck. On my way to the station I called Edward.

"Jasper?" he asked.

"Hey man, sorry to call you so early, I know how you like to sleep in and all. But we have a problem—Ann's onto me. She kept grilling me about the phone call from last night."

"Stay cool. Did you tell her the truth?"

I honked the horn and flipped off another driver who was acting like an idiot. "The truth? Of course not! 'You know, Ann, I've been hiding my obsession for _Carlisle's Angels_ from you for a long time. I eat, sleep, and dream about the day I'll meet Alice Brandon and we'll be happily married on a beach in St. Tropez.' Fucking Christ, Edward!"

"What time do you work today?" He asked cautiously.

"Nine until two—I have a prize giveaway at that new chicken wing restaurant downtown."

"Ok, after work, come over and we'll sort this all out."

"There's nothing to sort—she's going to murder me when she finds out!" I pulled into my parking lot at the radio station and banged my head against my steering wheel. "I'm fucked—and not in the good way."

"We'll figure this out. Ooh! I gotta go—new pics just surfaced of Rosalie! Text you later!" He hung up before I could even say goodbye.

I locked up my truck and headed inside. Everyone was sitting around the table when I walked in. I pulled out a seat, setting my phone on vibrate.

"Good morning, Jasper. How nice of you to join us," Ross, my direct supervisor, snarled.

I nodded and smiled. "It's a great day to be alive."

"Well, we were just talking about the biggest news to hit this station today—did you know that the girls from _Carlisle's Angels_ are appearing at VanCon?"

My insides screamed like a 12-year old girl who just found out *NSync was coming to town for one night only. I tried to remain calm on the outside. "I had heard about that, yes."

"Well, the big boss wants to send someone from the station there to report live from the event."

I sat straight up in my chair, almost falling out as the wheels moved back quickly. "I'll do it."

Ross looked over at me suspiciously. "You want to report live from the convention, surrounded by thousands of screaming young girls?"

I looked at him like he was crazy. "Yeah?"

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Let me talk to the big boss, and I'll get back to you. I don't know what tricks you're trying to pull, Whitlock, but I've got my eyes on you." He made the hand gesture from his eyes to mine.

Ross had been trying to get me in trouble for months now—I think he was secretly jealous of my charm and good looks, because I was such a hit with all the celebrities that came through to be interviewed. I smiled at him and tipped my imaginary hat.

"Well, folks, if you don't mind, I've got some CDs and t-shirts to be giving away." I walked out of the office, loaded up a box of station stash and headed towards the restaurant. I interviewed a few of the workers, but mostly let customers and people walking by on the street take a spin at the prize wheel. About an hour into my shift I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I fished out my new iPhone and smiled when I saw the _Carlisle's Angels_ app, the main motivation behind forking over the $250 for the phone, had a new and exclusive voice message.

"Hey everyone! It's Alice! We're on set today and I just wanted to pop in and say that we love you guys! We can't wait to meet some of you at VanCon!"

I nearly came in my pants at the sound of her sexy voice. Alice Brandon was by far the most dangerous creature out there. I dreamed about her almost nightly, and as of late it was becoming a problem to have sex with Ann without thinking about Alice's perfect lips. I sighed heavily, reminding myself that when I got home I was going to count the days until the convention.

"Um, excuse me?"

I looked up at a woman who was about my age standing next to a little girl who looked to be about eleven. "Well, hello there! Would you like to spin the prize wheel?"

The woman nodded and the girl spun the wheel. She clapped excitedly when she won a free CD. "Go ahead, rummage through the box and pick yourself out a CD."

The woman tried flirting with me shamelessly and I nodded and smiled, when suddenly the girl squealed.

"What'd ya find there, darlin?"

She held up a copy of the…oh my God was that…

"The _Carlisle's Angels_ soundtrack! I'm taking this with me to the convention to get autographed!" She jumped up and down.

I felt my blood begin to boil inside me. Where the hell did that come from? I would have stolen that if I knew it was in there. "Are you sure you don't want something else? Perhaps a t-shirt instead? I'm sure you could get that signed," I suggested.

"Why would I want a radio station t-shirt signed by Rosalie, Bella, and Alice? I want this CD," she said sternly.

I grabbed the end of it, attempting to pull it back from her. "Well I'm sorry but this wasn't supposed to be in the box. It's for our special giveaway."

"No! It's mine! You said I could have it!" She cried.

"Now I'm saying you can't."

The woman glared at me. "Give her the CD."

"No."

She yanked it out of my hands, handing it to the girl, who took off down the street. "You should be ashamed of yourself," she scowled before flipping me the bird.

After they left I took out every CD in the box, looking for another copy, but found nothing. I pulled at my hair and groaned. "I hate my life," I mumbled as I began packing up the boxes and loading them back in the radio station's van at the end of my shift. I dropped the van back off, stowing the stash back in my office. On the way out I passed by Ross' office, where he was sitting in his cushy office chair. I poked my head in the door, knocking on the doorframe. He looked up.

"Is there something you need?"

"Just checking in. I'm headed out for the afternoon, so you just enjoy sitting in your cubicle." I smiled like an asshole as I walked out of the building, nodding at the secretaries. I slid into my truck and headed over towards Edward and Emmett's place, stopping at a gas station to refill and refuel. As I walked inside to pay, I grabbed a Red Bull and a pack of Juicy Fruit. I walked past the rack of magazines and stopped dead in my tracks.

There, on the front cover of _US Weekly_, was a to-die for picture of Bella Swan that I had never seen before. The caption was unimportant at the moment, but I grabbed a copy, slamming it down excitedly against the counter.

"Pump four, plus this," I said, pulling out my wallet and sliding my debit card through the machine. I picked up the bag with my stuff, pulling the Red Bull out. I didn't want it to get the magazine wet. I hopped back into my truck and headed out.

I knocked on the door, and a few minutes later Edward opened the door, a smile on his face. "Jasper, guess what? The new issue of _US Weekly_ has Bella—"

I held up the magazine. "Already got it covered, man."

Edward snatched it out of my hand, flipping the pages and burying his nose in the magazine, most likely memorizing every word she said in the article so he could use it for his midnight wank fest later.

I popped the Red Bull and toed off my boots, collapsing on the couch with a dramatic sigh. I looked over to Edward's face, which was growing redder by the minute. I counted to ten before I looked at him again, and now he looked pissed.

"What's wrong, dude?"

He held the magazine tight in his fist. "These stupid magazines don't know _anything!_ No one listens to me. Bella is NOT dating Jacob Black—he's gay for crying out loud! How come they don't snag pictures of him with other guys?!"

I had to hold back a laugh. While I was totally sexually attracted to Bella Swan, Edward was on another level completely. He knew everything about her—and by everything I mean _everything_—from how she took her coffee to how many baby teeth she had lost when she was six. If there was a Bella Swan fan club or website, he was either a member or on e-mail alert. His website, , was the top _Carlisle's Angels_ fan-site on the internet. It was so popular that Peak Productions, the company that put out the films, had given special exclusives to Edward for his site. To say he was obsessed was an understatement.

"Well as long as you know it's not true, why are you getting your briefs in a twist?"

He glared at me. "I do not wear briefs."

I rolled my eyes. "Right, because Bella prefers boxers."

He threw the magazine at me before turning back to his computer and typing furiously. I pulled out my iPhone and checked my new messages. I coughed. "Edward, check out _CA_ for a second." _CA_Fans was Edward's top competition for number one fan-site. The people who ran that page were clearly idiots, but somehow always got just as much attention as FallenAngels.

I watched as he clicked over to the site before screaming out, "SON OF A BITCH!" and clicking his mouse incessantly.

I sipped my Red Bull and pulled out my laptop, slumping into the beanbag near the computer. I logged on from my computer and stared at the top headline:

_Newest Jacob and Bella fanfiction popularity causes to crash for hours due to high traffic volumes._

Edward growled, pulling the story up. I heard the hum of the printer and could only guess he was printing it out in case it was removed from the site. "This is ludicrous," he muttered, reading over the first few pages.

We argued back and forth over the validity of the story when Emmett walked in.

"Sup, fuckers?" he asked. I was too engrossed in the fic to respond, and apparently so was Edward. "Did something happen? Why didn't I get a text update?"

"There is a new fanfic that is causing a big commotion," Edward said snarkily, throwing some of the printed pages at Emmett.

He fingered it for a few moments. "So, what's the big deal?"

"This is a fanfic about Jacob Black and Bella Swan," I said, nodding my head towards Edward.

"Pics or it didn't happen," he replied.

I continued to ignore him, reading on about how Bella's lips did magical things to Jacob's penis. I cringed, reminding myself it was just fiction. I looked over at the fireplace and smiled sadly at the poster of Alice Brandon that I had hung there a few months back. I blew it a soft kiss, hoping the guys didn't notice.

I just had to get that assignment with the radio station. This was it—my chance at a better job, and a chance to be alone with Alice; if I got this opportunity, my life would definitely be taking a step up for the better.

******

**LMW: ***snickers* I am way too amused by this. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, fav'd, or alerted for this story! Aspects of Jasper's fandom will be based off myself, but not all, so don't go making assumptions *winks* Keep the reviews coming and tell us your experiences/guilty pleasures when it comes to the fandom so we can include them in this piece!

Thanks to Little Miss Masen, the super-awesome beta and best friend a girl could ask for.

**Charlsad: **HOLLA!! This shit is so much fun you have no idea. It is like making fun of myself and just taking it way too far. I love it. Thanks to my Becca and to Kendall for all of your help! I am so glad you guys have liked this story so far because I love Emmett (and consider him my alter-ego) and I really think as a fandom we are all very easy to make fun of. So yeah, thanks and I love y'all!

PS- Shout out to my Twitter peeps!!! You can follow me at justforkit

**Reviews are like having Emmett show up at your house with the Security Guard uniform on—they get us all sorts of excited!**


	3. I need her in my pants like now

**Disclaimer: NOTHING in this chapter is against any one person or persons--it is a joke and not meant to be taken seriously. That being said- Twilight belongs to Steph, but Emmett's one liners, Jasper's beanbag and Edward's OCD tendencies belong to us.**

[ Edward ]

Jacob Black can kiss my ass. The level of animosity I held for him was bad enough to make my eye twitch and my blood pressure rise to a completely dangerous level. I reminded myself that I knew it wasn't true and took a deep breath.

Anyone who called themselves a real fan knew that Bella Swan would _never _go for someone like Jacob-fucking-Black. I swear to God that kid couldn't pass a window without trying to find his reflection in it. I had even seen an interview where he was actually trying to fix his hair in the reflection of the interviewer's sunglasses.

Jacob would do anything to get his name out there. I mean, he worked out in the fucking parking lot of their last movie for Christ's sake. The only reason you would work out from the back of your fucking car, in a parking lot accessible to the media, would be so people would take pictures, post it on the internet, and then listen as people went on and on about how fucking 'perfect' you are. I swear to God, it was like some people couldn't tell where Jacob started and James ended. Plus, Jacob always had this look on his face that I referred to as his 'stinkeye,'—it was always on his face and made him look like a fucking douchebag.

_Calm the fuck down Edward,_ I repeated to myself as I slowly took a breath and felt my shoulders relax.

Bella was the complete opposite of him. She was low key, had a quirky sense of humor and didn't really seem to give a fuck about her appearance. Personally, I thought she was breathtakingly beautiful, almost to the point that it hurt to look at her because of the dull ache it left in my heart. But others constantly made remarks about her hair being 'too unkempt 'or her clothes being 'slouchy.' _Did they not understand that she just didn't give a shit? _She didn't care if people liked what she wore or how she did her hair. It was one of the most enchanting things about her.

Without even trying she had sent half the country into a frenzy to buy plaid shirts and Ray Ban Wayfarers. In less time than it took Michael Jackson to 'invent himself,' Bella Swan had become a trademark all her own without even trying; she was her own self and refused to give in to the standard Hollywood prototype.

Besides, everyone knew that the only way Bella Swan dated was if her best friend Jessica Stanley approved. The two of them were connected at the hip, and in a lot of ways since Bella had become famous, Jessica acted as some sort of body guard. Sure, Jessica had her own career to hang on to, but no matter what level of celebrity the other one rose to, they remained close, almost in a weird way. They had a tendency to mirror one another and even at times share clothes. That led to rumors of them being a couple; but again, rumors were just rumors until proven true—just like this bullshit with Bella and Jacob.

Refusing to even continue reading this crap that AngelsHonor called fanfiction, I took the remaining pages and threw them in the trash. It had been a waste of time to even bother looking at it; all it had done was given her more hits than she deserved. I might have to write a rather strongly-worded review about how sensationalized her shit really was, though, because it was getting out of hand.

I took the magazine Jasper had gotten and started cutting out the pictures of Bella with my scissors. The article itself was crap, as were the pictures of 'stink eye' Jacob. Once all the pictures were cut out, I put them in a manila envelope, labeled it with the date of publication, and put them in my filing cabinet.

"You might as well go ahead and scan them in Edward. We know you do it," Emmett teased as he flipped through the rest of the pages I had already given him.

"You know what I don't understand is, why do they put some of the lamest shit in these fanfics? I mean, do we really care that Jane's iPod is a 'deep blue' or that Bella Swan preferred to ride Jacob bareback as opposed to using a condom?" He asked Jasper, but I knew he was purposely trying to get a rise out of me.

Jasper threw one of his discarded boots towards Emmett's chair and I ignored him altogether. He could make fun of me all he wanted for scanning the pictures into my computer and then enlarging them for maximum viewing potential. He knew I had shit on him, too, and I was only biding my time until I could bust that shit _wide open_. Me scanning in pictures was nothing compared to what I knew he had ordered from Café Press.

"Keep it up, asshole, and you might just be sorry." I glared at him over the top of my monitor and he immediately shut up.

_That's what I thought._

Emmett could claim all he wanted that he didn't hide his obsession from anyone, but we all had our own little secrets. Jasper would secretly look up shit on Alice and Bella while he was at work. That wasn't so bad by itself, but the fact that he did it on other people's computers so that no one could trace it back to him was a little much. Not to mention the fact that his girlfriend thought he was going to the _Carlisle's Angels_ movies to spend time with her, when in fact he was going so that he could catch a glimpse of Alice in a bikini beating the shit out of some guy.

Emmett liked to think that none of us knew he was secretly having 'cyber-relations' with some girl on Twitter named HalesAngel that claimed to be Rosalie. He also liked to think that I hadn't overheard him calling a tattoo artist and asking how much it would be to get 'Hale yes' across one of his shoulders. He could keep on thinking we didn't know, but in fact we did.

I was pretty honest about my obsession. I openly admitted to people that FallenAngels was one of the top priorities in my life, and that finding out as much as I could in regards to the franchise and the actors was less of a hobby and more like a full-time a job. There were only a few things I tried to keep to myself. When Emmett was at work, I would pull out my Casio keyboard and write songs about and for Bella. My favorite, and in my opinion best, song was entitled 'My Beautiful Swan.' I had contemplated putting it up on YouTube, but had chickened out every time. I think it was less about actual fear and more about wanting to keep something that personal and special, private. If I ever had the chance, I would play it for Bella, no questions asked, and it would mean a hell of a lot more if it was kept between the two of us. _Our little secret,_ I thought and smiled to myself while Jasper and Emmett continued arguing with each other.

"I just think that having _Part Time Lover_ as your callback tone is a little trashy Emmett," Jasper grunted while trying to successfully roll out of the beanbag. "Not to mention that it just gives Stevie Wonder a bad rep."

"It's my theme song, bitch. Besides, if I give my number to some honey and she calls me and hears that, she knows how it is up front. The song is like a disclaimer: take it or leave it." Emmett handed Jasper his empty beer bottle as he walked past him, silently requesting a replacement.

"And you wonder why you are single," I mumbled under my breath, and got lucky enough that he hadn't heard me.

Emmett hadn't always been such a crude asshole. In fact, before that bitch Heidi had broken his heart, he was actually a decent guy. But when she left him high and dry during spring break in South Padre for his best friend, Emmett had gone from 'chill Emmett' to 'massively-offensive Emmett.' Had our mother been alive to see how he behaved sometimes, he would have a permanent imprint of her hand on the back of his head. Emmett coped with the break-up with an extensive amount of beer, cereal, and a new found obsession for none other than Rosalie Hale.

Becoming obsessed with her had literally been Emmett's saving grace. After I dragged him to the midnight showing, he started drinking less, sleeping normal hours, and had gotten a decent job. Because of that, Rosalie had Emmett wrapped around her little finger and she didn't even know it.

The phone next to me started ringing, and before I could even move an inch to answer it, Jasper was flying across the living room to check the caller ID. When he saw that it wasn't Ann, he gave a quick apology and handed me the phone.

I gave him a look that basically said 'grow a pair,' and answered the phone.

"Edward?" A female voice asked.

"Oh hey," I answered, leaning back in my chair and watching Emmett mouth the words 'who is it.' If I had told Emmett that Angela Weber was on the phone, he would have been out of this apartment in less than five seconds.

Angela was a fellow _CA_ follower—she helped with the graphic design of the site as well as being the head moderator for the forum. She was also head over heels in love with Emmett and had been for the past two years.

When I turned my back on Emmett, he began asking Jasper who had been on the phone, but Jasper only laughed and ignored him.

"Hi! Listen I was just in the area and was wondering I there was any way I could swing by and drop off those manipulations you wanted?" Angela said in a very hopeful voice.

I couldn't help but smile; it was kind of cute that she would drive them all the way over here instead of just emailing them to me so she could see Emmett. I could have been a decent brother and lied and said we were all about to leave, or said yes and just met her down in the parking lot. _I could have, but I didn't._

So with the most enthusiastic _'sure'_ I could muster, I invited her over. She said she would be there in about five minutes and hung up. Two point three seconds after I said good-bye, Emmett was demanding to know who would be coming over.

Again, I could have been a decent brother, but I lied and told him it was just Tyler dropping off some shit he needed me to work on for his new World of Warcraft website. Emmett seemed satisfied and went back to digging through the cabinets trying to find food.

"You know what sounds good? Cheese," he said after shutting the last of the cabinets.

"Just cheese?" Jasper asked as he again hit _'ignore'_ on his cell phone. I really wished he would just fess up to Ann about being over here all the time; telling her he was in love with Alice Brandon had to be easier than having to lie all the time.

"No I mean like cheese in general. Cheese on anything sounds good—mac and cheese, grilled cheese, cheese quesadillas, queso and chips, hell I would even take pimento cheese at this point." Emmett continued listing off things with any form of cheese that appealed to his stomach.

When a knock on the door came, Jasper and I just sat there. Emmett, obviously not expecting to be ambushed, opened the front door while a chunk of beef jerky stuck out the side of his mouth.

"Oh, hi Emmett!" Angela said in a high-pitched squeal, which, combined with the way she carried out the _'i' _in hi so that it was longer than the entire sentence, made me snort with concealed laughter.

Emmett stood there like an ape looking at a math problem until he finally moved aside so that she could come in. Angela was a nice enough girl: a little geeky maybe, but it wasn't like any of us had room to talk. I actually wouldn't have been opposed to dating her myself, but I really couldn't see her as more than a friend. She was my go-to person for photoshopping pictures and making manipulations of pictures we already had.

"Hi, Angela," Jasper's good natured personality took over and the awkwardness of Angela staring at Emmett, and Emmett trying to ease his way into the back of the apartment, faded. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and after giving Emmett a 'grow the fuck up' look, led her over to the desks.

Emmett looked straight past Jasper to me and with his jaw set and his teeth clenched, he drew a finger across his throat in what I guessed was supposed to be a threatening manner. I just gave him my best shit-eating smile and turned my attention back to Angela.

"Jasper, I am really digging the facial hair," she laughed and tugged gently on the pathetic excuse of a beard Jasper had been trying to grow ever since he learned Alice Brandon didn't mind a little facial hair on her guy.

"Yeah, he is channeling Jesus," Emmett said after throwing himself into his chair so hard that it automatically reclined and the foot rest popped up. "Either that or one of those cavemen from the Geico commercials."

Ignoring Emmett as usual, I let Angela sit at my computer so she could upload her pictures.

"The fort is looking great," she said as she dropped her cell phone on the desk and got to work.

The 'fort' was our command post of sorts. It was three desks we had thrown side by side so all of us could work together instead of being spread out across the apartment. Well, that and I was tired of Emmett sticking gum under my desk when he didn't have his own. Emmett's side was covered with scantily clad pictures of Rosalie and a mountain of Starburst wrappers; he also had a pretty impressive pyramid made out of Red Bull cans.

Jasper's desk was much more organized, but he left pen caps that he had gnawed on sitting all over. He also opted for using an exercise ball as a chair instead of an actual chair, but it was constantly being switched out with the bean bag that he had mysteriously showed up with one day. When we asked him why a bean bag he simply asked us, '_why not?'_

My desk was the epicenter of the entire operation—I had everything labeled by date and/or publication, and could pretty much tell you where or when a picture had been taken or when an interview had been given _and_ by whom. As a joke, Angela had photoshopped a picture of Bella and me together and it was framed and sitting next to the monitor.

"How is the forum going, Angela?" Jasper asked in genuine interest after he once again hit ignore on his phone.

"Oh, it's really picking up again with all the VanCon talk going around." She twisted her hair around her finger and kept looking out of the corner of her eye at Emmet, who was texting away on his cell phone. If I had to guess, I would say he was probably sexing up his fake Rosalie on Twitter via his ChbbyWnkr screen name. Why anyone would want to have a screen name calling themselves chubby wanker is something I would never understand—and probably wouldn't ever want to.

Her cell phone vibrated and it seemed to shake her from her Emmett-induced haze. She picked up her phone and after a few seconds put it back down and rejoined the conversation.

"Yeah the other night though, someone made a post speculating if the girls enjoyed anal sex, and that lead to all sorts of hell, as I am sure you can imagine." She rolled her eyes and pushed her glasses back up her nose.

"Who the hell would ask that?" I asked, but before anyone could answer, Emmett let out one of the most obnoxious laughs I had ever heard.

"I love this chick, even if she is a fake," he laughed and went back to texting. "Seriously, I need her in my pants like now."

Jasper started lecturing him on how crass he was being when Angela's cell phone started vibrating again. She was still staring at Emmett, ignoring her phone, so I picked it up and handed it to her.

What I saw when I glanced down made me take a gasping breath, which lead to me choking on my own saliva. I dropped her phone onto the floor and began coughing so hard I was pretty sure my ear drums had popped.

Jasper started slapping my back, but even as I struggled to catch my breath, I couldn't stop staring at Angela, who was looking at me as if I might just reach out and bite her. Her eyes were pleading, and I could have sworn I saw her bottom lip trembling.

_'Please,'_ she mouthed and shook her head slightly.

I finally caught my breath and nodded to Angela. As much as I wanted to act like I hadn't just seen ChbbyWnkr texting a reply to Hales_Angel on Angela's phone, I couldn't. I wanted the horrible mental images I was having flash through my mind to stop, but they wouldn't.

But no matter how fucked up it seemed to me, I still felt sorry for Angela. Especially when Emmett dropped his phone in his lap, threw his arms behind his head and announced to the room at large that he 'fucking loved this chick.'

Angela looked back at me, her bottom lip held between her teeth. I was about to ask if she needed a drink when were interrupted by a loud banging on the door.

The four of us all looked at each other, and after shrugging his shoulders Emmett heaved himself out of the chair and opened the door.

"JASPER FUCKING WHITLOCK!" Ann screamed as she stood in the doorway glaring at Jasper who was cowering in his beanbag with a handful of newly photoshopped pictures of Alice Brandon.

"Oh dude, you are fucked," Emmett said, and shut the door behind Ann who was stomping over to Jasper. "And not in a good way."

**LMW:** *giggle* Jasper's gonna get it! Thanks for all the reviews so far, and to the usual suspect, Little Miss Masen! So glad you all are enjoying it. I have a question though, if you will amuse me: what's the most embarrassing piece of Twilight merchandise you have bought or had made?

**Charlsad:** Poor Jasper… I really do feel for him. Thanks for all of the reviews-- they have seriously made our days. In addition to LMW's question, I would like to know what type of fan are you? Are you a closet fan, an obnoxious fan or an obsessed fan? I think I am an obnoxious closet fan but that could change on a day to day basis. LMAO!! Enjoy!!

****IMPORTANT** Emmett's twitter (chbbywnkr) is available to be followed and chatted! He'll have more info on the story and what's in his "Spank Bank" so go follow him to keep up with the guys!**


	4. I got 99 problems

**Disclaimer: We might not own these characters like S. Meyer does, but we do own and cherish the versions we have created here. Fanward, Fanmett, and Fansper for the win.**

**A/N: Thanks as always, to our super beta, Little Miss Masen!**

[ Jasper ]

All night I kept hitting the ignore button on my cell phone, hoping Ann would stop calling and go hang out with her girlfriends or something. It's not that I was scared to tell her that I was hanging out at Edward and Emmett's, but she always got weird when I told her where I was. I think that she secretly assumed I was in a relationship with one of them—but she couldn't have been farther from the truth.

Ann and I met a little over two years ago when she won a contest with the radio station. She'd won tickets to see Coldplay and had to drop by the station's van to pick them up, and I was working. I was attracted to her instantly—she was pretty, but her confidence made her unbelievably sexy. We chatted for a little while, and a few days before the concert she called my office to ask if I would be working the event on the lawn. When I told her yes, she'd seemed a bit down but I didn't think anything of it.

At the concert I found myself subconsciously looking for the brown-haired goddess, even though I figured I wouldn't see her since the seats she had won were up near the front. I was sitting underneath the pop-up tent passing out beer huggers and t-shirts when I heard someone call my name. I turned around and saw her, the biggest smile stretching across my face. We'd hit it off instantly, and she gave me her number. A week later I had taken her out to some dive of a restaurant but she still seemed flattered with me. We began dating multiple times a week, and she'd even show up wherever I was on location and bring me a drink or a snack.

I didn't fall in love with Ann instantly, but over time grew to appreciate her sweetness and generosity towards the people she loved. We moved in together after dating for six months. The sex was incredible, and I just couldn't seem to get enough of her.

That is, until I saw Alice Brandon.

Ann had talked non-stop about this stupid movie, _Carlisle's Angels_, and how much she wanted me to take her to see it. When I had complained about it to Edward, he balked and told me that I had to go see it, and if I didn't want to take Ann, that he definitely would. Apparently he was lusting after one of the actresses, which shocked the hell out of me because I just assumed Edward was gay. So I gave in and took Ann to see the movie. That night forever changed my life.

I hadn't seen a preview, because I was anti-chick flicks, and hoped my penis wouldn't shrink the moment the movie started. These kinds of movies made me feel emasculated, and proved how much I wasn't a good enough boyfriend for anyone. As the lights dimmed down, Ann snuggled into my arm and I wrapped it around her, holding her close to my body.

The moment Alice Brandon's character came on to the screen I knew it was love at first sight. I had to stop myself from clawing into Ann's shoulder from excitement—my heart started beating so fast I thought it would fly right out of my chest. Other parts of my anatomy acted accordingly also—I don't think I'd ever been so hard in my life. That night when we got home, I all but ripped Ann's clothes off and played out fantasies of Alice Brandon in my mind.

When she said she loved the movie so much she wanted to see it again, I told her I'd take her. She was a little surprised, but I convinced her that the radio station wanted to interview people who had seen the movie, so I needed to do some extra 'research.'

I could never tell Ann about my borderline obsession with Alice Brandon—she just wouldn't understand. And she could _never_ find out about my sexual fantasies. The good thing was, ironically, that I had Edward and Emmett on my side, so I could leave all of my _CA_ merchandise at their apartment where she wouldn't find it. Ann hated that house and refused to go anywhere near it—I think she was creeped out by Edward's obsessions and Emmett's crass personality. More than once I had caught him sneaking a peek at my girlfriend's cleavage and her ass, and he had suffered for it.

I was just putting my phone back in my pocket after checking my Twitter for the millionth time to see if Alice had posted anything new, when a pile of Alice manipulations made it into my lap after Edward started a coughing fit. I smacked him on the back a few times trying to help him breathe.

There was a knock at the door and we all looked up at it. I gave Emmett a look that said 'get it, fucker' and he groaned and dragged himself to the door. I looked down in my lap and began browsing though the manips that Angela had done—they were pretty convincing if you asked me. I was pondering whether or not I could ask her to make one of me and Rosalie so I could taunt Emmett when I heard it—the one voice I never thought I'd hear at this apartment.

"JASPER FUCKING WHITLOCK!"

It was Ann.

I wanted to cut a hole in my beanbag and crawl into it, hiding from her, but I knew it wouldn't work—this girl knew all the games in the book.

"Oh dude, you are fucked," Emmett said, shutting the door as Ann stalked towards me. "And not in a good way."

I narrowed my eyes at him before looking up at Ann and trying to muster up some of the famous Whitlock-family charm. I pulled my Texas shit-eating grin out of my back pocket and stood up to greet her. "Hey, darlin'."

She didn't respond like I had hoped. "Don't you fucking pull that 'darlin'' shit with me, Jasper. I've called you at _least_ five times and you can't even bother to look at your phone?"

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and showed it to her. "It doesn't show me that I've missed a call from you." I could hear Emmett snickering in the background and I'm pretty sure Edward was cowering at his desk—he had a slight fear of Ann because she was so verbal during her arguments and her feelings towards Edward's 'sick and twisted' obsession with Bella Swan.

She pushed the phone away from her. "Ugh, you know I don't know a damn thing about that phone. Have you been here the whole time?"

I gulped and nodded.

"His phone never rang, I swear!" Emmett tried defending me.

Ann turned to him and poked him in the chest. "Stay out of this. This is between me and Jasper, not the fucking _Carlisle's Angels_ fan club!"

I looked over at Edward apologetically. "Baby, let's go home and talk about this, okay?" I touched her forearm lightly.

She pulled away from me. "Don't put your fucking hands on me, Jasper Whitlock. You'll never guess what came in the mail today…interesting, really." She was digging through her oversized purse frantically, huffing. She pulled out some pieces of mail and I assumed they were late bills I had forgotten to pay again. I had a bad memory when it came to that responsibility.

"Is it the cable? I'll set it up for auto-pay," I tried to reason.

"What the fuck are these for?!" She threw two envelopes at me and I stared down at them.

_Credit cards._

"I didn't sign up for these!" I lied. I most certainly had—I knew if we were going to VanCon I was going to need extra spending money—so I had applied for two credit cards, both offering free interest for the first year. I figured if the guys needed to borrow some I could cover them—it was the least I could do.

She grabbed them back and ripped open one of them and pulled out the letter. "Congratulations, Mr. Whitlock! You have been approved for a VISA Gold card with a credit line of $4,000. Thank you for your interest in us and please let us know if we can be of further assistance to you. Enclosed is activation instructions and your VISA Gold card." She looked up at me. "Looks like you've applied for this one. Shall we look at the other?"

I grabbed at them but she held firm, ripping the other one.

"Thank you…yadda yadda…oh, here we go! You have been approved for a Chase Freedom Card with a credit line of $5,000. Jasper, what the fuck do you need $9,000 dollars for? Why didn't we talk about this before you applied?" The hurt was evident in her eyes. I needed to come up with something, and fast.

"Baby, you know how much I love you—I didn't want you to stress about…" I was racking my brain.

A light when off in her eyes and my stomach fell down deep into my gut. "Oh, Jasper!" she cried happily as she wrapped her arms around me.

I hugged her close, looking back at Emmett, Edward, and Angela like _'what the fuck?'_

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to ruin the proposal!"

My eyes bugged out of their sockets. "Proposal?" I asked.

She studied my face. "Yes, isn't that what the $9,000 dollars in credit cards is for? For a ring and a vacation? I mean, our anniversary is coming up and I did hope that you would ask me soon…"

Emmett let out a loud guffaw. "Dude, you got credit cards for VanCon? That's an awesome idea!"

Ann pulled away from me, glaring at Emmett and then back at me. "VanCon? What the fuck is that?"

I held my hands up in a sign of surrender. "Now darlin', let's be civil about this."

She turned to Angela and Edward. "What. Is. This. Shit."

Emmett was wiping tears away with his stubby fingers and I wanted to run over and tackle the shit out of him.

"It's this convention I have to cover FOR WORK. The station's going to reimburse me, but I wanted to keep it all on one card so I could have them write me a check."

She raised an eyebrow. She wasn't buying this. "You need $9,000 dollars for a convention for work?"

I was grasping at straws here. "No, but the other one has something to do with our anniversary…which is coming up awfully soon."

Her shoulders relaxed some. "What is VanCon?" she asked curiously.

I locked eyes with Emmett, Angela, and Edward, begging them to keep quiet while I lied my way out of another argument with Ann. "Its comic book stuff—you know, Star Trek, X-Men, Spiderman. Apparently it's a huge thing—I don't know, really."

I prayed silently to God in my head. _Please let her fall for this, please let her fall for this. I'll never whack off to Alice again—okay maybe that's a bit much, but I'll try not to take Your name in vain anymore._

"Okay, as long as those _Carlisle's Angels_ bitches aren't going to be there. I know Edward's sporting permanent wood in that corner over there and it's creeping me out." She grabbed my hand. "Let's go home, honey."

I nodded, packing my laptop into my backpack, refusing to look at the guys. "I'll see you all later," I said softly.

"Balls," Emmett coughed into his hand as I walked by, and I elbowed him in the rib cage.

"Bye, Ann! Good to see you again!" Angela called, trying to be friendly.

Ann sighed and waved. Once we got outside she turned to me. "I know they are your friends, Jasper, but they're so perverted and creepy. I don't want you hanging around with them anymore. For me, please?"

I felt my blood pressure rising as she insulted my friends. _Stay calm—just stay calm,_ I reminded myself. I smiled and kissed her, not making her any promises. "I'll see you at the house, darlin'."

She got in her car and I slid into my truck. I watched her pull away before I whipped out my iPhone and texted Edward.

_Thanks for not spilling the beans. I owe you._

I turned on my truck, flipped the radio on and sighed out loud. _Damn, that was a close one._

********

[Emmett]

_I got ninety-nine problems, but that bitch ain't one._

She had got to go—no questions or debating needed. I was voting her off the mother fucking island even if Jasper was too big a pussy to do it himself. She thought she was so trendy with her big-ass purses and fugly-ass oversized sunglasses. She was a fake person, and had I been a chick we would have already thrown down by now.

It really was too bad that Jasper was such a fucking pussy. Had MY girl come up in here and started disrespecting my friends like that…well I was raised to never hurt a woman, but she sure as hell would be sleeping on the couch _at least_.

How Jasper had been able to put up with her shit for the past two years was a mystery, but I am sure if he were Catholic, he would qualify for sainthood. I mean, he already had the Jesus beard going for him.

"Well, I guess I should go," Angela said while lingering around my chair.

I threw up the deuce and went back to scrolling through the last few pages of Twitter messages from my little Hales_Angel. When Angela didn't move, I looked at Edward, who was only staring at me as if it was my responsibility to play host.

Now I didn't have anything against Angela, she was a nice enough chick, but she just gave me the perviest looks. It's like when you have sex with someone and afterwards they are lookin' at you like 'hey, I've seen you naked.' It was weird and I didn't like it. She did have a decent rack though. _Just sayin'._

"Do you want me to walk you to your car?" I asked while inside I was thinking _'please say no! Please say no!' _And wouldn't you know it, she said yes. So I once again hauled my ass out of my recliner and opened the front door.

I followed her down the stairs and out into the parking lot. She kept making small talk, something about Jasper's lack of balls or maybe the fact that Ann hid her balls. I wasn't really paying attention, so I just nodded my head and tapped the hood of her car once she got inside.

Once she was gone and I was back inside, I returned to my chair and continued my twitter sexin.' You can call it lame if you want to, but I had rubbed one out several nights and even a few days thanks to my Twitter-lady. Edward was busy typing away as he listened to some whiney-ass music and I thought that maybe, _MAYBE_ I would be able to just fucking relax. Working with old folks isn't all fun and games, you know. Ok, well it was if you considered bingo and checkers fun and games. Which I did, but anyway, I was just fucking tired.

I first noticed something was up when the constant typing noise that I always associated with Edward came to a stop. I covertly looked up and saw Edward staring down at his desk with his hands folded in his lap. _God damn Ann and her fucking big-ass mouth._ It was time for a diversion.

"So, if Jasper gets this thing through the station, that could mean we might get special privileges," I said, hoping that if I could get his mind back on Bella and her ass then he would stop looking like someone had run over his puppy.

He didn't say anything, and when he looked over at me, I knew this was going to be one of those 'brother-to-brother' types of nights.

"Emmett am I weird?" he asked in one of the most pathetic voices I had ever heard.

Now, I could pretend to be a bad-ass mother fucker and act like this shit didn't get to me, but it did. Edward was pretty much the only family I had left and it hurt to see him doubt himself.

"No. I do not think you are weird," I answered him and made damn sure he knew I was serious.

He nodded and went back to his computer. I sighed, got up out of my recliner and pulled my desk chair up next to his.

"Edward, do not let what Satan's minion said get to you. You know she is a bitch anyway." I grabbed his shoulder and gave it a re-affirming shake. He only gave me a fleeting 'You are only saying that because you are my big brother' look and went back to scrolling through the pictures Angela had brought over.

Now this shit just _pissed me off_. Granted, Edward might be a little OCD about things, but if it made him happy and wasn't seriously harming someone, then what the fuck did it matter? The kid had a dream and I figured, let him fucking dream it.

Our childhood had been craptastic and it was a million wonders that we turned out as semi-normal as we did. Dad skipped town early on, leaving our mom with the two of us. She had worked three jobs at one point just to keep food on table and the lights on at the house. It was fucking hard on her, and I knew it. We both did.

She had told me that looking after Edward was my job, and I took that shit seriously. He was the runt, with skinny knees and arms and a hell of a lot of freckles that thankfully had evened out as he got older. Edward was always the quiet, smart one, where as I was the loud, obnoxious one. I was the one who made the friends; Edward was the one who made sure we didn't do anything too dangerous or stupid. Edward was my baby brother, and I had no problems at all admitting that I loved the fucker.

So he had an obsession with some actress. He sure as hell wasn't the only one, and sure as hell wouldn't be the last.

"Do you remember when I was like nine or something, and I went through my Easy Bake Oven phase?" I turned my chair so that I was facing him.

Edward gave a small laugh and nodded his head. I knew that would make him crack a smile and I couldn't blame him. I had spent a good year obsessed with an Easy Bake Oven. I mean, I was nine and it would make me mother-fuckin' brownies without running the risk of burning the house down. All the kids made fun of me, but I said 'screw em'.' I did what made me happy and to hell with the rest of them. As a result of my mad Easy Baking Oven skills, I now made some pretty fan-fucking-tastic brownies in a real oven. The ladies loved it, and brownie mix could actually be pretty erotic.

The point was I did what made me happy, and in the end it didn't matter what other people thought about me. What mattered was what I thought about myself. And, even at age nine, I knew I was the shit.

Edward finally started getting back to his old self, typing at lightning speed and swapping the sad ass emo music to something a little less 'I want to cut my wrists in the bathtub.' I got up, and as I started to push my chair back over to my side of the fort, Edward stopped me.

"Thanks Em. It really means a lot." He looked up at me, his green eyes looking all pathetic and shit just like he had when he was a kid.

I ruffled the top of his head and after he pushed my hand away and called me a dickwad, I knew his moment of doubt was behind us. I grabbed my phone and the pictures that Angela had made for me and headed to my bedroom.

"Hey Em," Edward called, and when I turned around, he threw a box of Kleenex at me. "Have fun."

"Always do," I said with a smirk and sauntered my way on back to the room I liked to call 'the Magic Kingdom.'

********

**LMW:** Ann, what are we going to do with you, honey? She just doesn't understand (and cherish all that is Jasper Whitlock). Luckily for her (and Jasper), I do *grins*. Thank the stars that Emmett decided to help his brother out here. You have to love the big bear for that!

You want my Twihard confession? Well, I may have opened up a new credit card just for Twilight merchandise and conventions…and by may have I mean, it's sitting pretty in my wallet. But it's been totally worth every penny!

**CharlsaD: **God Jasper, that chick has GOT TO GO. Haha. Now can we have a collective "awwwwww" for sweet Emmett? He can't be a jackass all the time and much like my own big brother, when he IS a nice guy it just makes your heart melt. Ok ok, so time for Twihard confessions. I confess that I once had a really REALLY great sex dream about one (or more) of the Twilight guys. When I woke up the next morning, my husband asked me if I was sick. When I told him no and asked why, he said, "You were moaning a lot in your sleep last night." It made me feel a little bad. Haha.

So, any confessions you wanna make? I promise I won't tell anyone, or at least I promise I won't mention your name when we fit it into the story. Haha!

**Reviews make us happier than Emmett with an Easy Bake Oven, so leave us one! Also, be sure to check out Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie *cough Angela cough* over on Twitter. Are we taking this too far? YUP. Do we care? NOPE. Come play with us! The guys might even tweet back *wink wink***

**Emmett: chbbywnkr  
Jasper: Oh_Jasper  
Rosalie: Hales_Angel  
LMW: melsvfp  
CharlsaD: JustForkIt**


	5. WTF happened last night!

**Disclaimer: We may not own Twilight but we sure as hell own the chbbywnkr and oh_jasper.**

**[ Jasper ]**

The whole drive home I contemplated my relationship with Ann—why couldn't she accept me for who I was? Why couldn't she like my friends—what had Edward and Emmett ever done to her?

_This is all your fault,_ my conscience told me.

The sad part? It was true—all of it. All of my issues and problems with Ann stemmed from lies or secrets that I had tried to keep from her; the biggest being _Carlisle's Angels_. Maybe if I had been upfront with her about the whole thing from the beginning this could have been avoided, but I doubted it. Ann was insecure underneath all the confidence she exuded. Whenever I would take her out somewhere I could see her silently appraising all the other women around her, comparing herself to them. It broke my heart because she was absolutely one of the most beautiful girls that I had ever dated.

I thought back to the hurtful look on Edward's face back at the house when Ann had insulted him—I felt like a steaming pile of douche for letting her say those things—Edward was like a brother to me.

_Worthless pansy_, my conscience reminded me. _Even Alice Brandon would be ashamed of you._

I debated my next plan of action as I made the drive across town. When I got back to my place, I took a deep breath and looked at the cross which was hanging from my rearview mirror.

"Alright, Big Guy, help me through this," I prayed. I stepped out of my truck and grabbed my backpack, slinging it over my arm and heading into my place. I unlocked the door and trudged inside.

"Oh good, you're home. You hungry, baby? I was just thinking about making us some dinner," Ann called from the computer in the living room.

My blood started to boil as I saw her there, unaffected by what had just happened at the guys' house. "Ann…"

She stood up and walked over to me, squeezing my hand. "Oh, alright, you talked me into it—let's get take-out! Do you want General Tso's chicken again with the white rice? That was so good the last time," she went on as she looked for the menu and the phone.

"Ann," I said more firmly.

She looked up at me. "Well if you want something else, just tell me, Jasper. I'm not a mind reader."

"Why did you say those horrible things about Edward?"

She turned her back, shuffling through a stack of papers. "Jasper, that conversation is over."

"No, it's not," I said, my chest beginning to feel heavy.

She turned to face me and put her hand on her hip. "Is that so?" She was eyeing me.

I took a deep breath, flexing my hands. "You can't just disrespect my friends like that; they didn't do anything wrong."

She stared at me intently. "You're serious about this, aren't you?"

The 12-year old boy inside me wanted to scream _DUH_, but I figured that wouldn't do anything to help the argument at hand. "Of course I am Ann. Baby those guys are my friends, like brothers to me. You've never given them a chance, so you don't know that they'd never say anything rude about you or anyone else. So the fact that you come screaming into their house, yelling at me and disrespecting them? It's not cool, and it's definitely not okay."

She thought for a moment before stepping closer to me and nuzzling into my chest. "I'm sorry, baby. I didn't know you felt so strong about them—if it helps, I'll send them an Edible Arrangement or a Build-a-Bear," she smiled.

I scowled. "I'm serious, Ann."

"Okay, fine, Omaha steaks for Emmett and something _Carlisle's Angels_ for Edward. I'm sorry," she said, leaning up to kiss me.

I tugged her close and inhaled the scent of her perfume. Standing there holding her made me wonder what Alice Brandon would feel like in my arms. What would she smell like?

I shook my head of my thoughts as she walked away from me and began ordering Chinese for the both of us without asking me what I wanted—maybe Emmett was right; sometimes I didn't act like a man at all.

I grabbed my bag and took it to the bedroom, dropping it on the floor. I peeled off my clothes and jumped into the shower, shivering as the cold water hit my skin before it warmed up. I soaped down my body and stepped out, drying off. I threw on some jersey shorts and an old t-shirt from a radio station marathon and walked back into the living room, smelling the aroma of the warm Chinese food.

"Oh, good, it's here—I'm starving!"

I waltzed into the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge. "You want your Evian?" I called to Ann.

"Yea!" she answered.

I grabbed her bottle of expensive ass prissy water and tossed it to her. She shrieked as the bottle landed in her lap.

"JASPER! Could you be more careful?!"

I had to hold back a laugh, plopping down on the couch and reaching for my carton of chicken. I pulled some of it onto the plate and piled on the rice as well. I stirred it all together with my chopsticks and started digging in. I turned the television on to E! News, trying to stay on top of the celebrity gossip for work, and because I knew that Ann enjoyed it.

"Ugh, can you believe all this hype about Jessica Simpson's break-up with Tony Romo? I mean, they broke up and people need to move on. I _hate_ that paparazzi follow her around just waiting for her to bust into tears or beat up a car like Britney Spears did. It's all so sad. And no one really cares—who is Jessica Simpson anymore? She ruined it with those mom jeans," Ann prattled on.

"And in other news tonight," Ryan Seacrest started, turning towards the camera, "celebrities gathered last night for the Teen Choice Awards and a battle on the red carpet it was! Fashion was all over the place, but the hits and misses were long forgotten once _Carlisle's Angels_ stars Bella Swan, Alice Brandon, Rosalie Hale, and Jacob Black showed up. The fans started screaming as they approached them, signing autographs and posing for pictures. Jacob and Bella even sat next to each other, and sources say they chatted and laughed the whole time."

I felt a growl in my chest, hoping Edward wasn't watching this. I pushed it down with some General Tso's and took a swig of my beer.

"We're so excited about VanCon coming up—it's going to be a great opportunity to meet our fans and just hang out," Bella said, being interviewed by one of the show's hosts.

I spit my beer out across the table, almost choking on the chicken I was trying to swallow. Ann turned to me with her eyebrow raised. I coughed, trying to distract her with a near-death experience.

"Did you know about this?" she asked in a low voice, refusing to look over at me.

I pushed my chicken around with my chopstick. "No?" I offered.

She closed her eyes for a moment, not saying anything and taking deep breaths. After a minute or so, she looked over at me. "How long have you known?"

I figured at this point there was no more use in lying to her. "A while."

"Before or after you got the assignment for work?"

My heart was beating faster and I thought it might fly right out of my chest. "Well, I haven't exactly gotten the assignment yet."

She didn't speak. This made me even more nervous, and my leg started shaking.

"I'm going with Edward and Emmett."

"Of course you are," she said, taking that snotty, know-it-all tone she always used when she was pissed off.

"They're my friends, and this is important to them."

She grabbed my leg, digging her fingers into my thigh and stopping it from shaking. "And what, exactly, is important to you? Please tell me, Jasper, because apparently it's not me."

"Why does everything have to be a fight with you? It's like we get over one thing and then something else comes along, Ann."

I was fidgeting with my plate when she took it from my hands and set it down on the table. She pulled me to look at her. "We don't talk anymore."

I looked at her. "Well, we're talking right now, aren't we?"

She rolled her eyes. "This is what I mean—you patronize me and talk down to me like I'm a little girl. I work hard for you—for _us_—Jasper, and you barely even notice me. You're either at work or spending time with Emmett and Edward. You only pay attention to me when I yell at you. You give me no other choice."

Okay, I'll admit that right there my heart broke a little bit—of all the things I was known for, being a heartbreaker was not one of them.

"No other choice; what does that mean exactly?"

"Have you been lying to me this whole time?"

I shook my head. "No."

"But you've been lying to me."

I nodded. "On a few things."

Her eyes turned dark. "What 'few things?'"

"It doesn't matter anymore, Ann."

I stood up and grabbed my plate, heading towards the kitchen. She stood up as well, following behind me.

"Yes it does matter! How can you sit here and tell me that our relationship doesn't matter? Where the fuck did the Jasper I met run off to?"

"I can't sit here and argue with you anymore."

She walked into the living room and came back with some magazine clippings of _Carlisle's Angels_ that I had thought I had hidden away in my shoebox in the back of my closet behind my old suit. "You've been lying to me about this," she spat.

"Well if you know all the answers, then you tell me."

She held up the clippings, furious. "All this time, you said you would watch these movies with me because you know I loved them. You have been going behind my back and whacking off to other girls, celebrity girls no less, and you've become like Edward!"

I threw the plate down on the floor, a loud crash as the ceramic hit the tile, the food flying everywhere. "You leave Edward the fuck out of this, Ann."

"Why should I? You're a pervert and a creep, lusting after women you'll never be able to get. While all this time, I sat here thinking there was something wrong with me—that I wasn't pretty enough. Well of course I wasn't—how can I compete with THREE girls? You boys are sick and twisted. They'd never even give you all the time of day if they saw you on the streets. It's pathetic."

I glared at her. "You're a bitch, you know that? You sit here and criticize me for enjoying a movie or an actress, and you make fun of my friends? It's not my fault if you feel insecure and less than enough for me."

Her eyes were cold and empty now. "A few nights ago, when we were having sex? You called me Alice. Fucking shit, Jasper—you called me Alice. Of course I feel insecure! You wish you were having sex with someone else but me! And then I find these magazine clippings? You're cheating on me with Alice-fucking-Brandon. And it makes me laugh; I feel sorry for you. She wouldn't be interested in you. You work handing out t-shirts and beer huggers to drunk fans at concerts—you'd be just another groupie to her."

I resisted the urge to slap her—Mama always told me never to hit a girl. "How dare you," I said.

She pointed at me. "I want you out. Now."

I looked down at her. "You're gonna throw me out of my own apartment?"

She smirked evilly. "I can have your name removed from the lease as of tomorrow morning. Now take your shit and get the fuck out, you sick pervert."

I glared at her. "I feel awful sorry for anyone who even thinks about hooking up with you," I said as I headed for the bedroom, throwing some clothes and personal items in a duffle bag. I walked back out into the living room where she was standing, waiting for me to leave. "I'll be back tomorrow for the rest of my stuff."

She stared at her cuticles. "Call before you come over—you're not taking anything out of here without my approval."

"Go to hell," I said darkly as I stormed out and threw the bag into my truck. I was breathing heavy and my pulse was hammering in my head as I backed out and headed towards the one place I knew I would be accepted.

I pulled into the driveway and grabbed my duffle and my sleeping bag, not sure where I would crash at tonight; if it was any place where Emmett had eaten, I didn't want food in my hair or my clothes. I walked up to the door and knocked a few times.

Edward opened the door, blinking at the site of me with my "gear."

I sighed, looking down before back up at him. "Ann kicked me out."

"Edward, who's at the door, bro?" Emmett called.

Edward stepped back, letting me in. I didn't want to even look at Emmett—in fact, I had hoped he was already asleep. I didn't need his gloating right now.

"Who's going camping?" he asked.

"Emmett…don't," Edward said softly.

I shook my head. "It's alright, Edward. Ann kicked me out. I don't have anywhere to go."

Emmett got a huge grin on his face and pulled me into a tight side-hug. "You'll stay here at the fort, man! Welcome home, Jasper! It's about damn time!"

I nodded and thanked them, setting my stuff down and relaying the whole fight back to them. I saw Edward frown a few times and Emmett clench his fists, but all in all, they took it well. We hung out for a while before they went to bed and I settled in on the couch. I pulled out my iPhone and looked at a picture of Alice Brandon—God, she was gorgeous.

I knew at that moment that I had made the right decision—no matter what happened at VanCon or the rest of my life, Alice Brandon was one hell of a gal, and deserved to be adored.

**[Emmett]**

Casa de Cullen was now officially Casa de Cullen/Whitlock. Jasper's name was on the mailbox, a key was on his key ring, and his ass had been sleeping on our couch for a week.

Jasper becoming a roommate came with its perks, like his limitless CD collection as well as his Wii that was equipped with Rock Band. That shit was epic, especially when we busted out with the best of the eighties. Plus, he made the most freaking delicious food I had ever eaten. I hadn't heard about Tex-Mex food until I had met Jasper, and my stomach was certainly thankful for the introduction.

Sure, Jasper had been a little upset for a few days after Ann had kicked him out of his own place, but he was really starting to come around. I had finally broken through this 'sad ass' exterior when I asked if he had grown a vagina and ovaries over the past week. It had landed me a bloody nose, but it was worth it.

The only down side to Jasper moving in was that his cell phone was constantly being blown up by Ann. I counted one night, and in the span of two hours, she had called fifteen times. I could have understood it if Jasper had been ignoring her calls, but he was fucking nice enough to actually talk to her. When he would come back inside after leaving to talk to her, we would ask what she wanted. He would only shrug his shoulders and go back to being sad and depressed. I won't lie and say that shit didn't break my heart a little. Jazz was a free spirit, a wild card, and seeing him all broken and 'woe is me' and shit just wasn't right. Finally, some naked Alice Brandon pictures surfaced on the internet and although he pretended to be 'outraged,' we all knew he had printed those suckers off and was saving them for a later date.

So the mope ass Jasper was gone and as the oldest, I decided that it was time for a 'Jasper is single and ready to mingle' party. Edward cleaned, because it was what he did, Jasper made sure we had some spectacular musical selections because he was the musical genius, and I made sure we had the beer and a lot of hot nurses from the nursing home. I am a pimp—it's what I do. Plus, it took a lot of careful planning to make sure the sausage at the party did not out weigh the muffin, if you know what I mean.

Jasper looked like he was at least having a good time; he was mingling and even if he wasn't his normal 'life of the party' self, I was happy that he was smiling. Hell, even Edward was talking to chicks other than Angela. I had prepared myself by dropping by the ATM before the party and taking out some cash. If I had to pay these ladies to pretend to enjoy hanging out with my brother and sad ass Jasper, then fuckin' A, I was willing to do it. I loved them, yo.

So with Jasper and Edward taken care of, I was able to lay my mack down with limited interruptions. I could bump and grind with the best of them, and from time to time I was willing to do 'the worm,' although I normally reserved that for special occasions.

So there I was, in the middle of singing _Baby Got Back _with some hottie, grinding her ass against my leg, when I heard someone knock on the door. I figured it was someone else wanting to join in on the Emmett/Edward/Jasper awesomeness and I was all for it. But when I heard a familiar voice shout "what the fuck" coming from the front door, I couldn't stop the 'fuck a bitch' that came out of my mouth.

Now, my Mom had taught Edward and me to respect the ladies, and I only used the term bitch if it was necessary. But Ann was the devil, and the term was always deemed necessary. I opened the door and there she was, standing in my mother fuckin' doorway looking all crappy and depressed. A part of me felt bad for her, but on the whole, I was hella pissed that she disrupted my party.

"Jasper?! What the fuck!" she screamed again. All eyes moved from Ann to Jasper, who was looking slightly guilty with his arm slung around some girl's shoulder and her arm wrapped around his waist. As soon as he saw Ann, his arm dropped and he took a step away from her. He gave me a look of sheer panic while Edward seemed to slink further back into the crowd.

It was time for me to intercept this little problem before it got out of hand.

"Hey there, Ann." I smiled and raised my beer up to her.

"It's been a week, Jasper! And you're already hooking up with random whores that Emmett found for you!" Ann said and took a step towards Jasper. I decided this shit might get out of hand, and took a step towards Ann.

Not cool. Sure, half of the chicks had offered, given or tried to give me some of their lovin'. But that didn't make them whores; I think it just made them eager. They were all nice girls, and her coming up in here calling people whores wasn't a chill move.

"Oh look ,the bitch is back," I said and tried to block her sight of Jasper and Edward, who was probably cowering in the corner by now.

She threw me a look that plainly said 'kiss my ass,' and I couldn't help but smile my best 'fuck you' grin. She looked back at Jasper who was muttering something about taking this outside and shuffling his feet towards her.

"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa." I put my hand on Jasper's chest to stop him.

"Em, its fine," he said, trying to move around me.

"No. No. Let me handle this, man." I handed him my beer and opened the door for Ann, waving my hand, which was meant to say 'get your bitch ass outside, pronto.'

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me. I couldn't help but chuckle. If she thought that ugly ass scowl was going to do anything more than make me laugh, she was crazy.

Jasper shifted from foot to foot and cleared his throat nervously. He opened his mouth to say something, but I stopped him.

"Listen, Ann," I said, leaning against the door. "We can both go outside and talk or I can call the cops—your pick."

She rolled her eyes and told Jasper that she "wasn't finished with him yet" and turned around and walked outside. I looked back at Jasper who was giving me a 'don't you fucking do it' look, but I just smiled and shut the door behind me. I might not be as diplomatic as Jasper, but I was pretty sure his fuckin' diplomacy was part of the problem to begin with. He might have been too much of a "gentleman" to tell this bitch where to shove it, but I sure as hell wasn't.

Once the door was shut I adjusted my pink sweatband that was wrapped around my head and turned to face Satan's Mistress. She was standing there tapping her foot like this was all a huge waste of her time. That shit only pissed me off more.

"I know your ass did not just show up at my mother fuckin' party and ruin the groove that I was laying," I said, and felt a little pride when she only blinked back at me. If I could shut this bitch up, that must mean I had some sort of super power.

"You are disgusting," she said with a sour look on her face.

"Yup, I am." I nodded my head and leaned against the porch rails. No point in denying the obvious.

She just stood there and looked at me, obviously expecting me to cave the same way Jasper and Edward did. She was wrong in thinking that her face did anything more than just annoy the shit out of me.

When Jasper had first met Ann, Edward and I had been excited for the asshole. She seemed genuinely nice and interested in our friend. But as time wore on, she became more and more of a bitch and tried to get Jasper to spend less and less time with us. She put him down constantly about his job, his friends, hell, even his music. I knew for a fact that Jasper hadn't picked up his guitar in more than six months and for an aspiring musician, that isn't normal. Little by little, the Jasper we knew retreated into himself and had been replaced with a very generic version of Jasper Whitlock.

If I was being honest with myself, she pissed me off so much because she reminded me a lot of Heidi. All perfect on the outside and all bitch-ass-ness on the inside. It pissed me off that she treated Jasper like a dog on a leash. It pissed me off that she treated my brother like he had some sort of mental illness. And, it really fucking pissed me off that she had the 'power' to make the two of them feel ashamed for having an interest in anything to do with the _CA_ series. Who fucking cared if we all obsessed over three women we all had no chance in hell of getting? Well, obviously Ann did and it was because she was so insecure with her own self that she thrived on finding faults in others.

"This has nothing to do with you Emmett," she finally said when she realized her little glaring contest wasn't going to work on me.

"Oh really?" I laughed, and when she tried to move closer to the door, I stood in front of it. "This has _everything_ to do with me."

I smiled as she growled in frustration.

"This is between Jasper and me. Not you or your freakish little brother!" she shouted at me.

"You best slow your roll girl," I warned, and crossed my arms across my chest.

It wasn't like I would hit her, but if she wanted me to get personal I could.

"Or what?" She laughed and her hands flew to her hips.

_Yup, that fucking did it._

"Alright—listen up Ann, I've tried to be nice but you obviously can't take a fucking hint. You had better retract the claws you seem to have in my boy's nut sack and you sure as hell better watch what you fucking say about my brother." I leaned down over her, getting a hell of a lot of satisfaction when the smile slid off her face and her eyes widened.

"I get that you're pissed about Jasper saying someone else's name. I get that you don't understand Edward's obsession with Bella Swan. I get that you think I am a crude asshole. But that doesn't give you the right to be a total bitch to Jasper or his friends. Ok, well, maybe to Jasper, but not to Edward."

She started sputtering something but I covered her mouth with my hand.

"Leave Edward alone; don't call Jasper unless he calls you first; and, get the fuck off my front porch. Got it?" I asked and raised my eyebrows as she nodded her head.

"Great." I brushed my hands together and nodded towards the parking lot. "Peace out, bitch."

She stumbled backwards and I smiled genuinely as I opened the door and shut it on her stunned face. I hated to be a dick, but sometimes you've just got to be an ass to get the point across.

It wasn't surprising that when I walked back inside, fifty faces were all staring at me. Edward and Jasper both seemed a little stunned but I would be damned if that bitch showing up ruined this party.

I picked my beer bottle back up off the counter and held it up. Some people laughed and joined me; others just looked around probably wondering if I had lost my mind.

"Bitches be crazy," I said with a laugh and took a drink. Edward smiled and followed but Jasper just looked at me. He probably didn't appreciate me calling her a bitch in front of all of these people, but he would get over it.

Life was good. I had beer, I had boobs, and the devil had just been put in her place. All in all not a bad night.

The next morning I woke up outside on the patio. I blinked as the sunlight burned my eyes. Sure, three hundred and sixty days of the year we had no sun, but the one morning I am fucking hung over that shit decides to make an appearance.

I blinked away the sun and looked around the patio. I was surprised as hell to find a sombrero, an impressive collection of Sharpie markers, and a bunch of inflatable pool toys scattered around me. I looked down at my chest and couldn't help but laugh at the array of shit someone had written all over me. Obviously this had ended up being one hell of a party.

I slowly pushed myself up off the patio. Once I got to a standing position I decided I needed a few minutes to keep from hurling all over the place. I closed my eyes and tried to remember what the hell had happened. The only things I could remember was Ann coming by, me being a dick to her, and Jasper consuming massive amounts of tequila.

I stumbled to the sliding glass door and slowly pushed it open. I looked around the living room and shook my head slowly at the absolute fucking mess that was staring back at me. There were bras hanging from the ceiling fan, an ass load of those Styrofoam packing peanuts all over the floor, and one entire wall lined with bottles of water. _What the fuck?_

I stepped over the piles of empty beer cans and made my way down the hall to my bedroom. I pushed the door open but stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Angela. In my bed. Naked. I rubbed my eyes, hoping I was just imagining this shit, but when I looked again, she was still there.

I quietly shut the door behind me and mouthed the words 'fuck me' over and over until I reached the bathroom. _Did I have sex with Angela fucking Weber? If I did, was it good? Shit. Shit. Shit._

I opened the bathroom door and after flipping on the light, saw Edward asleep in the bathtub wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. I narrowed my eyes at the Sharpie handlebar mustache someone had drawn on his face. _What the fuck did we do last night?_

I kicked Edward's leg and told him to wake up, but he only grunted and rolled over on his side. I saw something written on his back and pushed him further onto his stomach.

"Ow!" he complained sleepily when his head hit the side of the shower wall, but I ignored him. On his back was a fucking real ass tattoo that said "I love my Swan" in old English letters.

"What the fuck did we do last night?" I asked louder than I meant to, and both of us winced at the sound of my voice echoing in the small bathroom. He shushed me and held his head in his hands.

"Edward you have a fucking tattoo." I sunk onto the toilet and rubbed my face roughly.

"No, it's sharpie," he mumbled, and tried to stand up while grabbing onto the shower curtain like a dumbass. It ripped and he fell in a heap back onto the shower floor.

"That is not a marker you fucker, that is an actual tattoo." I watched him as he once again tried to get out of the bathtub, this time succeeding.

He stumbled over to the mirror and turned around so he could look at his back. When his eyes saw the raised puffy edges of the letters, his eyes got as big as saucers and he screamed. He screamed like a twelve year old girl. The kind of scream that could be heard miles away and just fucking reverberated off the bathroom tiles.

"EMMETT! I HAVE A TATTOO!" He turned around in circles as if he might be able to see the tattoo that now covered the upper-half of his back.

"No fucking shit asshole." I watched him, but as he kept turning it made me wanna puke, so I stopped.

Someone tried to open the door, which collided with Edward and sent him back onto the floor again. Jasper stuck his head in the bathroom and looked from Edward on the floor to me sitting on the toilet with my head in my hands. He stepped inside and shut the door behind him looking slightly panicked and a hell of a lot of hung over.

"Dude, I wake up and I am in bed with three half-naked girls," he said in a loud whisper and helped Edward off the floor.

"I have a fucking tattoo!" Edward turned around and showed him. "A real one!"

"I think I slept with Angela Webber." I looked up at both of them.

The three of us stood there looking at each other. Obviously some random ass shit had gone down last night and none of us could remember what the hell had happened.

"Emmett?" A small voice came from the other side of the door and I shook my head frantically.

"I'm not here!" I mouthed as Edward rolled his eyes and Jasper mouthed 'she can fucking here you' back at me.

"Just a second, Angela," Edward said, and I heard her feet on the carpet, walking back towards my room.

"We need a game plan," I said, and looked between Jasper and Edward, hoping one of them might have some grand idea that could explain all of this fuckery that we had gotten ourselves into.

"Look, you sleeping with Angela isn't as bad as me getting a tattoo!" Edward whispered harshly. "Besides, you already had Twitter-sex with her anyway!"

"Wait, what?" I asked, but Jasper interrupted me.

"Did you not hear what I said? I woke up with three half-naked chicks that I DO NOT KNOW," he said, and started running his hands through his hair frantically.

"Boo fucking hoo, Jasper—that is legendary, not fucking insane like a REAL TATTOO ON YOUR BACK!" Edward yelled again and the three of us winced in unison.

"What do you mean I had Twitter-sex with Angela?" I asked again.

"She is your fake Rosalie; obviously she told you that if you hooked up with her," Edward sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"WHAT!" I screamed and ignored the both of them shushing me.

"Emmett, shut the fuck up!" Jasper listened against the door.

_WHAT THE FUCK! _I paced around the small bathroom wishing there was a window or something I could crawl out of to get my ass out of this fucking apartment. Angela Weber was MY Rosalie Hale. She was my Hales_Angel. _WHAT THE FUCK!_

I was about to fucking INSIST on them going out there and getting rid of her when we heard it—another man's voice, very unfamiliar and coming from the hallway. It was followed by a very girlish giggle that made all three of us raise our eyebrows in question.

Jasper opened the door, and there was Angela Weber, wrapped in my sheets and wrapped around Ben mother fucking Chaney. His hands were splayed on her ass and his tongue was basically shoved down her throat. That kid seriously needed to work on his technique.

"What the fuck happened last night?" Edward shouted again, and I sunk back onto the toilet and shook my head.

_Fuck. My. Life._

******

**CharlsaD**: Poor Emmett and poor Edward. But HEYYY OHHHH for Jasper! Dropping the crazy girlfriend and MAYBE hooking up with three chicks at once?? HOLLA! Ok, ok, so I want to know which Twilight guy (NOT ACTOR) is your fav? Which one would you hook up with in real life? If I had to spend more than five minutes with Edward I would kill him. He would boss me around one too many times and I would have to just lay the smack down. Jasper kinda freaks me out bc he is so freaking intense and I can just picture him staring at people all the time. So I am an Emmett girl. We could make dirty jokes together and it would be HEAVEN. As always thanks to Kendall and to everyone who reviews!! They make us super happy!! Also, thanks to Paige for sharing your Twilight horror stories with me. To Becca, Christina, Paige, Lauren, Mels, and Diana I love ya'll. I am lucky enough to not only have one Twilight bestie but six!!!

**LMW**: What's up fanfiction?! Did you all survive the weekend of massive fail? Yeah you did, you saucy minxes! This chapter made a LOT of progress towards getting to VanCon, so I'm excited about that! Thanks for all the positive responses and Twilight confessions—please keep them coming  And tweet at the fellas on Twitter—they like conversing with you all!

Thanks again to my bestie, Kendall! 3

**Reviews are the best cure for the fanboys' hangovers—so send em in!**


	6. Dirty Little Secrets

**Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight, but we do own Emmett's foul mouth and Jasper's southern twang. **

**[ Jasper ]**

I was sitting at my desk, surfing through the local gossip websites and entertainment magazines. When I wasn't working promotional events outside the radio I was responsible for keeping up with the gossip for the DJs. Other guys might complain about something like that, but it gave me an excuse to search for information about Alice Brandon—and get paid for it.

I was just typing up some notes about the leak of a clip from one of Alice's audition tapes that was, for lack of a better word, sultry. I was watching it intently, putting on my reading glasses to make sure I didn't miss one bit of information, when I heard my office phone ringing. I looked over at it and groaned. _Ross._

I picked it up. "Jasper speaking."

"Whitlock, get your ass in my office," he barked out.

My heart dropped into my stomach and I fought back the urge to vomit. Ross sounded pissed—more pissed than the time I missed out on the news that Jon and Kate were getting divorced because I was too busy looking for _Carlisle's Angels_ news. Could I be getting fired?

I tucked my glasses into my shirt pocket and put the phone back on the cradle. I clapped my hands together and took a deep breath. '"Suck it the fuck up, Jasper," I said to myself as I closed out the internet window I was staring at.

I walked down the hall and stood in his doorframe. He waved at me, not bothering to look up as he typed on his computer.

"Sit," he grunted.

I took a seat in the uncomfortable chair, stretching my legs out as far as they could go. I looked around at his walls, which were scattered with pictures of him and celebrity guests that he had met through the station. Ross had been here a long time, and had pictures with Britney Spears, Brad Pitt, and even Madonna. I almost felt a small pang of jealousy but then remembered that the only girl I needed a photo with was Alice Brandon, and maybe Bella Swan. I was attracted to Bella on and off, but knew I would never put her first because I couldn't do that to Edward. As Emmett loved to remind us: _'Bros before hoes.'_

The typing stopped for a second and his eyes swept over me face, appraising me. I gulped, not sure of where this conversation was headed, what I'd potentially done wrong, and if I would even have a job at the end.

"The board loved your guest hosting last week—ratings were higher than they'd been in a long time. The way you handled the call with Kourtney Kardashian about her pregnancy was brilliant."

I relaxed slightly—I wasn't getting fired!

He began typing again on his computer, ignoring me.

"Thank you, sir," I said softly, trying to hide the grin that threatened to erupt.

"Don't thank me, Whitlock."

Fuck. Was he going to get to the point or what?

"You've got the job," he said bitterly.

I perked up. "What job?"

He rolled his eyes. "The assignment in Vancouver. The board members want you to take the lead on this VanCon, interviewing fans and whatnot."

My stomach fluttered.

"Which means you'll also be granted a 15-minute interview with the girls. Don't take this assignment lightly. This could be the path to a promotion for you, Whitlock. If you value your career, don't fuck this up."

I nodded; my insides felt like they were skipping through the mountains like Maria from _The Sound of Music_.

He kept typing before he replied again. "The station will cover your hotel costs, admission, and reimburse you for gas if you choose to drive."

"Thanks, Ross, really, this…this is huge for me."

"Don't thank me, I didn't vote for you," he said gruffly. "You can go home now—you've got some packing to do. Take the equipment with you that you'll need. Maria's already booked your hotel, so make sure you get the details from her."

I stood up and nodded my thanks again before heading out to Maria's desk. She smiled sweetly at me.

"Congratulations, Jasper."

I leaned my elbows on her desk. "Thank you, Maria."

She printed out some paperwork, put it into a manila envelope and handed it to me. "Your room and travel information is listed. I went ahead and booked you a double room—I figured your friend Edward might be going with you," she winked.

Maria was a nice enough girl—very pretty. She'd always been friendly, and treated Edward like a genuine person whenever he would call or drop by the station. I appreciated her for not making fun of him like all the other girls did. She knew about his fascination, or obsession, with Bella and she thought it was endearing—I was pretty sure she looked at Edward like a younger brother, sticking up for him when he would show up in office gossip.

I smiled. "He's pretty excited, I can't lie about that. Thanks for that, Maria. I'll see you when I get back?"

She nodded and winked at me. "Ross said to get you a general admission ticket; I figured you already had one better than that, so I got you a photo op with the three girls together instead so we can post it on the website."

I smiled. "Thanks. I'll bring you something back," I promised, walking back to my office. I felt pep in my step as I fought back the urge to do the moonwalk or a back flip or something as equally awesome.

I grabbed the things I would need for my live broadcast—microphones and whatnot, stuffing it into a huge box. I turned off my computer and flicked the lights, almost skipping out to my truck. I jammed out on the radio as I drove home and stopped by the convenience store, stocking up on Red Bull and Juicy Fruit gum. I grabbed an imported beer for Emmett and Edward.

I drove home as fast as I could, busting through the door with the booze in my hands. Emmett was sprawled out on…my beanbag?! Oh that fucker was dead.

Edward gave me a confused look. "What's in the bag, Jasper?"

I raised the brown paper bag in victory. "The best fucking reason to celebrate ever!"

Emmett crinkled his face, trying to think. "Just fucking tell us, man!"

"First, get the fuck out of my beanbag—that's a sacred space. Second, take one of these." I handed him and Edward each one of the beers I had bought. I pulled out my Red Bull and popped the top, holding it up.

"Gentleman, you are looking at the KAOS 89.3 FM reporter for VanCon! I got the job, fuckers!"

They both screamed and we toasted, downing our drinks.

"So what shit do you get, man? I mean, they gotta hook you up with something!" Emmett asked.

I grinned. "Free hotel, reimbursement for gas…"

Edward was already pumping his fist in the air, thinking of the money we saved.

"A group photo with the gals…"

Emmett's eyes got huge.

"And last, but not least, a 15-minute interview with the gals."

The both looked at me, slack jawed. After a moment, Emmett began whistling, and Edward looked slightly jealous.

I turned to him. "Aside from the station, I'm gonna let you have full rights, buddy. I couldn't have done all this without you."

The smile that erupted onto his face was so big I thought he was gonna run across the room and hug me. We cheered together and proceeded to get tipsy in celebration of the awesomeness that was about to come.

Life was pretty fuckin' sweet.

******

**[Emmett]**

VanCon, hey oh!

To say that all of us were excited was a huge fucking understatement. Jasper had gotten the green light that he was covering the convention for the radio station. It didn't give Edward and me any special privileges, but it did grant Jasper a coveted fifteen minute interview with all three of the _CA_ ladies that Jasper had promised Edward exclusive rights to for the website. Jasper was walking on fucking cloud nine. I will admit I was jealous, but if anyone deserved this, it was him. After all the Ann bullshit, he was due for a little good luck coming his way.

It was the day before we were supposed to leave and emotions were running high. Edward was flippin' the fuck out about logistics. We had the hotel covered since we were all going to bunk with Jasper in the room the station was paying for. Edward had spent hours online trying to find out exactly when they would let you start lining up. We had tickets, but the seating was first come-first serve and he was more than fucking determined to be in the front row.

Edward had been hoping that FallenAngels would be invited to cover the event, but the studio had invited one of his competitors instead. To say Edward was pissed was putting it lightly.

Angela had been coming by to figure out what all she was going to need to do for the site while he was gone, and that shit was just plain awkward. Edward had begged me not to say anything about the whole Twitter bullshit so I kept my mouth shut. But, since Angela had started hooking up with Ben, she had been on Twitter less and less and as much as I hated to fucking admit it, I was jealous. I had no interest in actually dating Angela, but she was funny as shit on Twitter and I kinda missed her flirtatious tweets. Plus, every time I looked at her I would just remember comments she had made about oral sex, shower sex, or just sex at all, and it would make me uncomfortable.

Edward was still sulking about the tattoo, and once we found out that some of the nurses had passed the three of us "roofies" as a joke, his temper had just escalated to the point that Jasper and I both were avoiding him as much as possible. We never did find out if Jasper had actually pulled off a four way, but he was convinced that since all undergarments were intact when waking up, then there was no sex involved. I said bullshit.

I looked up when Jasper walked in the front door, his arms full with recording equipment.

"What's that for?" I asked as he dropped the pile of crap on the couch. He started explaining how he was supposed to interview people waiting outside and dug through his pockets and dropped an ass-load of change in a bucket sitting on the table.

"That's all my change from work," Jasper said and started sorting out tangles in the wires.

We had all been dropping spare change in the bucket to be used as extra cash while in Vancouver. Edward had snooped around the IMDb boards long enough to find out what restaurants the ladies seemed to prefer while in town. Once we found out what they were, Edward looked their menus up online and we were all blindsided to find out how much the freaking food was. I don't care who the hell you are, paying twenty bucks for a salad was out-fucking-ragious. We're in a recession, after all.

So, Edward asked Angela to go cash in all the change, and I would be lying if I said I was sorry to see her go. Once she shut the door, I relaxed somewhat and went back to making a list of shit to pack.

"Why the hell do we need three sleeping bags? We are staying at a hotel," I asked and flipped Edward's list over and rolled my eyes at the continuation of pointless shit we needed to bring. I mean, honestly, why the hell would we need flashlights? Or the entire _Carlisle's Angels_ book series? For that matter, what the hell was he planning on doing with the DVDs if we didn't have a portable DVD player?

"Because it looks like we might have to sleep outside the night before," Edward said and kept typing.

_FUCK THAT_. My ass was not camping outside on a sidewalk. There was no doubt in my mind that there would be hundreds of teenage girls out there, and that was just not something I was down with.

Jasper looked at me and shook his head. I ignored his silent warning to keep my mouth shut.

"There is no way in hell I am sleeping on a sidewalk. I didn't do it for ACDC, I'm not doing it for them." I threw Edward's list on the table and went back to my own.

Edward stopped typing and looked back at me as if I was telling him Christmas had been canceled.

"Emmett, you have to go with me," he said, and looked back at Jasper for reinforcement.

"Why? Why do I have to go? Why can't Jasper go?" I asked and shook my head.

"I am going, but I have to interview fans. I can't stand in line with Edward all night," Jasper answered.

"And I don't want to stand out there all by myself." Edward looked at me with those fucking sad ass eyes and I knew I didn't have a choice.

He would go by himself if he had to, but knowing my fucking luck, he would end up knifing someone for mentioning Jacob Black and Bella Swan in the same sentence. Either that or he would get trampled by a thousand screaming girls. So, I had to go. I had to go to be the fucking security guard and pack mule. I just knew that asshole was gonna make me carry around his heavy ass bag of shit he probably wouldn't ever use.

"Fine," I growled and wrote 'fucking sleeping bags' on the "to pack" list.

The three of us continued working in silence; the only sound was that incessant typing noise that was really starting to grate on my last fucking nerve. I was normally a pretty laid back dude, but when Edward had insisted on me cutting back on my snackage so we could save money for this trip, I had become more and more irritable. I mean, I needed my snacks; they were part of my meal plan.

"I'm back!" Angela called as she opened the front door. I instantly put my elbow on the table and covered my face with my hand as I continued writing. But when I smelled French fries, I peeked through my fingers and my stomach growled at the Burger King sack she had in her hand. I would be willing to make out with her for those fries. And that my friend, is saying something.

"That's all we got?" Edward asked after Angela handed him the cash from the coin machine. "We had to have more than that."

Angela shook her head and handed him the receipt. "Sorry, that's it."

"God damn, Emmett!" He growled at me and I blinked in confusion.

"What the fuck did I do? I am just sitting here?" I motioned to the table and his annoying ass list of shit to take with us.

"We'd have a hell of a lot more money if your fat ass hadn't been sneaking quarters out of here to pay for your Little Debbie habit!" he yelled and crumpled up the receipt and threw it at me.

"Well, if I wasn't being limited to three meals a day, then I wouldn't have to sneak that shit in!" I yelled back.

"If you weren't such a fat ass, then eating three meals a day wouldn't be such a problem for you!" Edward stood up from his desk.

"Ok, let's all calm down." Jasper stood between us and gave Angela an apologetic smile. She only shrugged her shoulders and continued eating her fucking fries.

"Fuck you, Jasper! Don't act like you're all innocent in this. You grabbed change out of that bucket for your damn Juicy Fruit and Red Bull!" I yelled at him.

Jasper and I started yelling at each other, him telling me I was making shit up, and me telling him to shut the fuck up. I knew for a fact that there were empty gum packets in his bag that was currently in my closet.

I flipped his ass off and went to go get my evidence. He followed behind me, telling me I didn't have the right to go through his shit, but I ignored him. I shut the door in his face and locked it so he couldn't get in.

As he banged on the door, I pulled his bag out of the closet and started digging through his shit. Sure enough there were twenty-something gum packets in the bottom of his bag. I started to pull them out when something caught my eye. Underneath a sock was an eye, a very familiar eye. All tiny and grey, just like Alice Brandon's.

I pushed a sock out of the way and burst out laughing when I saw that Jasper had been hiding a fucking Alice Brandon pillow case.

"What the fuck dude?" I asked, laughing when Jasper had successfully picked the lock and was storming over to me.

I held the pillow case out of his reach and crawled over the bed to get away from him. He ignored my laughing and chased me across the bed and back down the hallway.

"Give it back Emmett!" He threw a shoe at me, and after it hit my back and caught me off guard, I stumbled and fell into the side of my chair. As soon as I hit the ground I knew he would try to get that shit away from me, so I stuck it down my shirt and laid on top of it.

"What the hell?" Angela asked while Edward only watched with a look of shock on his face.

"Jasper's been hiding shit! He has an Alice Brandon pillowcase!" I laughed while trying to duck Jasper's punches. "Ow, fucker! That one actually hurt!"

"Good! Give it back!" He yelled while sitting on my back and punching my ribs.

"Come on guys," Edward sighed, but I could tell he was holding back a laugh. "Guys, come on, lets be simple about this."

"Edward! Go get your black light and let's see what we find on this bad boy!" I grunted when Jasper's fist connected with my kidney. "Ow, Jasper!"

I rolled over and pushed him off me, but in the few seconds I had given him, he pulled the pillowcase out from under my shirt. That fucker was quick.

"Let's see what you're hiding asshole!" Jasper called as he ran back down the hallway.

"This is like third grade," Angela laughed and Edward rolled his eyes.

I shrugged my shoulders and pushed myself off the floor and back into my chair. There wasn't a damn thing that I was hiding, and I knew this fucker didn't have a damn thing on me. Not until I heard him moving my dresser. _No. No. No. No._

"Don't you dare!" I growled and ran back down the hallway, this time with Edward and Angela following me.

******

**[ Edward ]**

We watched in shock as Emmett hurled himself over the bed and landed on Jasper with a sickening thump. They both started yelling at each other, but the only words I could understand were 'fucker,' 'hiding shit,' and 'kiss my ass.'

I already knew what Emmett was hiding behind his dresser: pictures of Rosalie with random guys that Emmett had replaced his head with. Also hidden was all the shit he had bought from Café Press that he thought no one knew about. Well, we did.

"Is that a pair of boxers?" Angela asked, and leaned down to pick up the several pieces of clothing that were being thrown around the room while Emmett and Jasper wrestled with each other.

Angela gasped at the boxers and saw they had a picture of Rosalie Hale lying over the crotch. Her mouth was conveniently placed to look as if she was giving, um… oral sex. I pulled the boxers out of her hand and told her she was better off not knowing.

"Well there is no need for a black light on this shit. I can see the white stains from here," Jasper said and threw the pictures back at Emmett. Both of them were panting and extremely red in the face.

Angela groaned and covered her eyes, and for the first time, I noticed that she was holding a cup. My eyes widened when I saw the familiar 'stink face' of Jacob Black.

"Where did you get that?" I asked, and pulled the cup out of her hands. I might have squealed when I saw Bella's face on the other side. Emmett and Jasper were still arguing and I yelled at them to shut the hell up.

"At Burger King," Angela said, and looked at me as if I might go ballistic any second.

"I'm hungry," Emmett announced, but I told him to shut up as Jasper slapped the back of his head.

"Do you know what this is?!" I asked, and held up the cup for all of them to see.

"A cup?" Emmett said, and punched Jasper's arm before he had a chance to slap his head again. "A cup with Jacob Black's ugly mug on it."

"This," my voice broke with excitement. I cleared my throat and smiled. "This is one of the eight limited edition _Carlisle's Angels_ collector's cups that are only available through Burger King."

Jasper and Emmett looked at each other before looking back at me.

"And?" they asked in unison.

"And I want them." I handed Angela back her cup and ran into the living room. I grabbed a fifty dollar bill of the top of the stack Angela had given me and was back in the bedroom before Jasper or Emmett had even made it off the floor.

"Emmett I need you…" I started, but he cut me off.

"I can eat twenty-four burgers with no problems." He took the money out of my hand and looked around the room for his shoes. "I got this."

"Why twenty-four?" Jasper asked, confused, and I shrugged my shoulders.

"A set for each of us, assholes." Emmett grabbed his keys and ran out of the room, leaving the three of us standing there. He hadn't been gone ten seconds when he returned and tossed his keys to Angela.

She looked back at him, and like all of us, was wondering what the hell he was doing.

"I'm going to need some help." He left the room again and she followed after him.

Emmett really did eat twenty-four hamburgers; Jasper and I helped with the fries and after enough Coke to cause the three of us to have permanent kidney damage, we each had a collector's set of _Carlisle's Angels_ cups. I hand-washed mine and they were now lining the top of my desk.

The rest of the night passed in a blur as we finished packing and loaded Jasper's truck. The four hour drive was going to take forever, but I had borrowed Angela's mobile broadband card and hopefully would still be able to access the message boards while traveling.

There were a few people from the site I was supposed to be meeting up with in Vancouver, but I had already told them that if our meeting interfered with the convention, I wouldn't be able to make it. Bella Swan and the rest of the _CA_ cast were my main priority. They understood.

That night I tossed and turned in my bed. I kept having different scenarios running through my mind involving Bella and me. I could see her giving me that sexy smirk she did as she answered my questions. I had already made a list I had thought about asking, and was going to try and narrow the last five down to one while driving tomorrow. I could imagine her arms around me as we took pictures for the photo session I had paid for. I even imagined the feeling of her breath on my neck as her head rested on my shoulder while the photographer continued to take pictures. God, it was like the fates were aligning just for this one moment.

In less than forty-eight hours, I would be meeting Isabella Swan. I smiled and rolled onto my back. In less than forty-eight hours, I would have the opportunity of a lifetime and actually get to feel her in my arms.

Somewhere between me trying to narrow down what I should wear to the convention and doing a mental re=check of all the stuff we had packed, I finally fell asleep.

The next morning, we rushed around trying to get ready. It took Emmett five trips back inside to get shit he had forgotten. We had even had to turn back around so he could get his passport. It was a good thing he remembered, because I swear to God, I would have left his ass sitting at the Canadian border until we drove back through.

Once we reached the outskirts of town, I felt part of the tension that had been resting on my shoulders dissipate. _This was really happening._ I was actually going to get to meet my Bella. Nothing was going to ruin this moment for me. Not the fact that because of Emmett's juvenile friends, I now had a very embarrassing tattoo on my back. Or the fact that Jasper was forcing me to listen to 'the best of the eighties.' I didn't even mind that Emmett had his seat moved so far back that my knees were practically up to my chest. All the weeks of extra working and saving every penny we could was going to pay off.

_My Bella. _I smiled at the thought and watched as the trees passed in a blur.

My entire life I had always been content to stand in the background, always blending in and never standing out. But this weekend would be different. Bella would notice me. She would see I was different than all those other screaming idiots. I just knew she would see me and _know _I was meant to be with her.

I leaned my head back against the glass and nodded my head along to the music blaring from Jasper's speakers.

"Vancouver, here we come!" Emmett yelled through his open window.

_Bella Swan, here I come_. I thought and smiled.

******

**LMW:** It's the eve of greatness, people! So far, your reviews have been insightful, charming, and downright hilarious! Thanks for being such great sports! We totally love you way more than anything (well, except for the TwiMens, but can you really blame us?) Thanks to the usual suspects, and thanks for all your support!

**CharlsaD**: I'M SO EXCITED FOR VANCON!! It's like I am actually going LMAO!! (And let me just tell you that if LMW and I were in Vancouver right now, at least one of us would probably end up arrested)

You guys are so flippin' awesome! I know every author says that they have the best readers, but I can say hands down that YOU GUYS are the bestest out there!!! So thank you from the bottom of my heart. Also, to everyone who is recommending this story on LJ or to your other TwiHard friends, I love you and if you lived anywhere near me, I would buy you a Rt. 44 drink at Sonic. If you don't know what Sonic is then I feel sorry for you.

So what do you guys think is gonna happen?? I want to know what your ideas are!! Thanks as always to Little Miss Masen. To all my Twitter and TFTM people, I tell you guys how much I love you in every chapter so you should know it by now. So should Mels and Diana, but bc I love ya'll so much I will say it again. Xoxo!!


	7. Pearl Snaps and Ding Dongs

**We don't own Twilight, but we do own Emmett's Rosalie Hale boxers and Jasper's Alice Brandon pillow case. We tried to get Edward's collectors cups, but we were afraid we might lose a limb in the process of getting them. **

******

**[Emmett]**

Jasper was one cocky ass mother fucker. Don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy and all, but only Jasper mother fuckin' Whitlock was able to pull off a pearl-snap shirt, grungy ass jeans and boots with paint all over them. I watched as he howled along with Kansas' "Wayward Son" and couldn't help but wonder if all Texans were this fucking cocky.

"You need to tone it down, Jasper," I said and leaned my head back on the headrest and closed my eyes. "You aren't in Texas anymore."

When he didn't have some sort of smartass remark, I looked over to see him looking at me, those stupid ass Aviator sunglasses tipped down on the bridge of his nose.

"Emmett, I have told you. You can take the boy out of Texas, but you can't take the Texas out of the boy," he said in his hickass accent and turned back to the road.

I couldn't help but snort at how fucking John Wayne his ass sounded.

I looked back over the seat at Edward to get some back-up on the fact that no matter where you're from, a fucking pearl-snap shirt is not okay, but he was staring at that damn computer with an 'Edward Cullen is pissed as hell" scowl on his face.

"What the fuck is up with you?" I asked, and when he didn't answer, I slapped his leg.

"Ow, Emmett!" he cried like the titbag he was. I just looked at him and waited for an explanation. "For your information, I just found out that there are supposed pictures of Bella and Jacob kissing at some concert!"

When he started screaming, I knew we would probably need to get Edward drunk or stoned ASA-fucking-P. Before I could even suggest stopping for a six-pack, Edward leaned between the seats, shoving the laptop in front of me.

"Just look at these pictures, Emmett! I mean seriously!" He yelled in my ear and I had to lean away from him just to try and save my eardrum.

"It is so obvious that they are just talking!" He kept yelling, and I eventually had to push him back into his fucking seat.

"Number one, calm the fuck down." I glared at him and ignored Jasper's suggested coughing. "Number two; don't yell in my fucking ear again."

Edward opened his mouth, and I guess after seeing how fucking serious I was, shut his mouth.

I turned forward again and looked at the damn pictures. They were grainy as fuck, and honestly I couldn't tell what was what. I mean, I guess it could look like they were kissing, but his head seemed a bit low and I seriously doubted that Bella was the type of girl to let some dude motorboat her in public; although if she was, I might have to switch to Team Bella. Just sayin'.

"I call bullshit," I said, and passed the computer back to Edward.

He snatched it out of my hands and began muttering to himself and typing again.

"I guess this is going to bring on all the Bell-Cob rumors again." Jasper looked in the rearview mirror at Edward. He didn't get a response.

"And what the fuck is a 'Bell-Cob?'" I asked Jasper, but Edward answered.

"It is a stupid fucking nickname that people give them." He shouted again, but when I turned around and glared at him, he lowered his voice.

"You take the two names and add them together to make one name," Jasper explained when Edward went back to analyzing his pictures. I was sure any second he would bust out with a magnifying glass and make a diagram showing how they were not kissing, or even touching for that matter.

"Well Bell-Cob is retarded. I like J-Ella better." I watched as Jasper passed a Hostess snack truck and my stomach growled.

"Don't be stupid Emmett." Edward nudged the back of my seat.

"No, I'm serious. J-Ella is way better—it sounds like Jell-O, and everyone loves Jell-O." The car got quiet, except for Edward's typing. Jasper was giving me sideways glances, probably trying to tell me to shut the fuck up with that 'Jasper' glare that was so famous. He thought he looked intimidating—I thought he looked constipated or in pain, or both.

"Edward, you know if you put yours and Bella's name together, it could just be E-lla. Like the song." I turned back around in my seat and he glared at me.

"Under my umbrella, E-lla, E-lla, E-lla," I sang until he slapped the side of my head.

"Emmett, I swear to God I will hurt you," he growled at me.

Aw, it was cute when Edward got mad. His cheeks would get all flushed and splotchy. Pretty soon he would start stuttering because he would get so worked up; then he would pinch the bridge of his nose.

Yup, there was the nose pinching.

"Edward, you have got to relax. The chance that Jacob is actually getting anywhere near Bella's panties is slim to none. Unless you count the fact that he is probably stealing them and trying them on when he gets back to his own room; then I would guess they are pretty good."

Jasper choked on the Juicy Fruit he had been smacking and even Edward cracked a smile. Mission accomplished. The tension in this mother fuckin' vehicle was getting out of hand. Jasper seemed tense as fuck, worrying if Edward was going to bust a cap soon. You could basically feel the hatred and anger radiating off of Edward as he continued to look through those damn pictures.

I knew the only way Edward, Jasper, or me, for that matter, would survive this weekend would be if Edward calmed the fuck down. If we let him go stand in line with the attitude he had now, there was no doubt he would either end up getting hurt, or he would hurt someone.

He was so fucking wound up I was pretty sure the only way we were going to get him to relax was to sneak some drugs into his food or get him laid. He was already suspicious as hell about being drugged, ever since the party.

I spent the next fifteen minutes trying to think of a plan. When Edward made Jasper stop so that he could get a piss break, I decided to get Jasper's opinion.

"Hey, do you know if prostitution is legal in Canada?" I asked while leaning against the side of Jasper's truck while he pumped it with gas.

He pushed his sunglasses on top of his head and gave me a 'what the fuck are you thinking' look.

"Not for me, asshole!" I punched his arm. "Like I would need to pay for that."

"Well then, what the hell are you talking about? Because that really isn't something I'm just dying to try." He rubbed his arm and looked around to see if anyone was listening.

"We have got to get Edward to lighten up, Jasper. I mean, other than drugging him, getting him laid is the only other option," I said like it was the easiest thing to understand, because it was.

"Emmett, you cannot hire a prostitute for your brother!" He pulled the nozzle out of the truck and put it back in the holder.

Damn Jasper and his fucking morality.

"Well, then what the fuck do you have planned? Because if we don't do something, he is either going to end up in jail or the hospital, maybe a jail hospital if such a thing exists." I crossed my arms and looked at Jasper.

I didn't really understand why I was the only one really concerned with this. I mean, normally I'm the one who is like 'hell yeah man, go ahead and get in as much trouble as you want.' When did I become the responsible adult in this scenario? We needed to start drinking pronto.

"Edward will be fine, Emmett, he just needs something to take his mind off this whole thing. I think we all could." He pulled a folded up piece of paper out of his back pocket and handed it to me.

"I was watching the Food Network and they had a segment about this. I think we should go," he explained as I unfolded the paper.

"And what exactly is the Cowgirl Café?" I asked as I scanned over the front page, but when I flipped to the second page I knew I was in.

Anything that involved scantily clad chicks and caffeine had to be sent from God himself.

I shoved the papers back at him, and without needing to hear another word, I told him I was in.

**[ Jasper ]**

This ride up to the Holy Land was not going the way I had expected at all. I thought some classic music in my beefed-up, brand new stereo system would bring the good times rolling in.

Apparently I was wrong.

Emmett was grumbling the whole way about me taking my 'Texas' down a notch, or whatever the fuck that meant. Of course he wouldn't understand—he wasn't from Texas, simple as that.

I tried to push past his idiocy, but then Edward broke out in a frenzy over some cell-phone pixilated bullshit pictures of Bella and Jacob. I tried to support him, agreeing with him that they shouldn't be together. And for the most part, I did agree. Jacob Black was no fit for Bella Swan—their personalities alone were enough to condemn their relationship, if they ever were to entertain that idea. Of course, Jacob was the hottest actor in Hollywood right now, but I felt like Bella was just above and beyond all the hype about him.

Emmett was convinced Jacob was gay—whether or not that was true, I didn't know. But his strong beliefs often kept Edward calm, so I was thanking God for that.

But it wasn't working today. When Edward shoved the laptop in the front seat, I let my eyes peek in the peripheral opening of my sunglasses. Nothing. Of course they would lean in close—concerts are louder than shit.

My remarks about Bell-Cob rumors didn't help much, either. I just couldn't win today.

As long as I get to Alice without fucking things up, I reminded myself.

I pulled off the highway to refuel the truck and get the hell out. I busied myself with pumping gas, pulling out my Juicy Fruit and popping a fresh piece.

When Emmett came over to me, I felt like we were going behind Edward's back. And then he suggested a Canadian prostitute? This shit was getting way out of hand.

"Edward will be fine, Emmett, he just needs something to take his mind off of this whole thing. I think we all could." I pulled a flier out of my back pocket I had printed off the internet.

"I was watching the Food Network and they had a segment about this. I think we should go."

"And what exactly is the Cowgirl Café?" Emmett asked, confused. He stared for a moment before he realized that this was exactly what we needed.

"I'm in, bro. Definitely in."

I finished pumping gas and headed inside to pay. While I was there, I grabbed a six-pack of Red Bull, some Ding-Dongs, Twizzlers, and more Juicy Fruit. I paid for it all and slid back into my seat, thrusting the bag towards Emmett.

He peeked in the bag and let out a cheer as he pulled out the Ding-Dongs. "What the fuck are the Twizzlers for?" He asked.

I looked in the rearview mirror at Edward as he caught my gaze. "I heard Bella loves them. Can't hurt to be prepared," I said with a wink. I saw Edward give a small smile. He'd come around again—that is, until the next big Jacob/Bella scandal came out.

I pulled out of the gas station and back onto the road. I moved to turn the music back on, but Emmett gave me the stink eye.

"Jazz, man, I know you got some satellite radio up in this bitch. Let's get some real music playing!"

"I don't have the Disney channel, Emmett, sorry."

He punched me lightly. "Ass." He began flipping through the channels, looking for God knows what.

I enjoyed the few moments of silence—Edward wasn't ranting, Emmett wasn't whining, and I thought about how close we would be to the Angels in just a few short hours. My fingers began to tingle in anticipation, and I felt like such a girl.

I drove for a while until I saw the exit for Seattle and looked over at Emmett, who was grinning and giving a small victory fist pump.

"Man, I don't know about you two, but I could sure use some coffee."

"Coffee sounds great!" Emmett screamed enthusiastically, shifting in his seat.

"Edward?" I asked.

"Alright," he said, his fingers still flying across the keys. I was surprised that either: a) his fingers hadn't fallen off yet, or b) his laptop hadn't exploded.

I smiled to myself as I took the exit ramp and traveled to our destination: Cowgirl Café. According to the Food Network, the girls who served coffee dressed in costumes each day. I pulled up in the parking lot and chanced a peek back at Edward. His eyes were wide, and I couldn't tell if he was nervous or aroused.

Emmett let out a loud whoop. "Chicks, costumes, and coffee? Fuck, could this day get any better?!"

We got out of the car and I saw Emmett clap Edward on the back, sending him flying a few steps forward. Emmett whispered in his ear, and Edward punched him playfully. It was a touching moment.

I have lost my balls, I thought to myself. I felt like I was in a fucking Hallmark commercial.

We sat down at a small table outside the hut, and a leggy redhead walked over in a bathing suit top and a small plaid skirt. My eyes ghosted over her perfectly in-shape body.

"Hey fellas," she said, leaning down to place some coasters on the table, giving us all a full-frontal view of her boobs.

Emmett turned his body towards her. "Hello there. I'm Emmett, that's Jasper, and this is my brother, Edward."

"Nice to meet you. What can I get you to drink?"

"I'll have whatever your regular is," I said.

"A redheaded slut," Emmett said, winking at the barista.

"Emmett!" I scolded him.

The girl laughed. "No, it's fine. It's actually one of our drinks."

I looked over at Emmett and rolled my eyes at him.

"What about you, sweet thing?" she asked, leaning her body down towards Edward, leaving him merely inches from her chest.

"Uh, um, I'll have…a, um…"

She giggled, running her hand down his arm. "Aren't you cute?"

"Black coffee!" he called out nervously.

She smiled. "I'll go whip that right up for you boys."

As she walked away, I heard Emmett let out a low whistle. "I'd like to whip something up on that fine ass."

Edward coughed.

"Bro, seriously--relax and enjoy the view!"

"The last time I relaxed, I ended up drugged and tattooed," he hissed between his teeth.

I rolled my eyes at the two of them. "Both of you shut the fuck up—I haven't had enough caffeine to put up with this shit."

They argued back and forth a little, so I pulled out my iPhone and updated my Twitter account, leaving some rude comments for Emmett on his. The barista came back with our drinks and we sipped quietly. I was daydreaming about the upcoming weekend, Emmett was ogling the baristas, and Edward was trying to pretend like he wasn't sporting wood.

The redhead came back over and flirted with us. I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy her curves and breasts, but I knew in the long run, she was no Alice Brandon. I whipped out $25 and handed it to the girl, tipping her very well. I asked for a receipt and she came back with it, sliding her hand down Edward's arm and whispering thanks in his ear. He shivered and stammered, causing Emmett to chuckle.

I stood up and stretched my arms. "Let's hit the road guys!"

We all walked back over to my truck and climbed in.

"Vancouver, here we come!" Emmett bellowed loudly.

I turned onto the highway while Em searched for some road tunes.

"Thanks for the coffee," Edward said.

I shook my head and laughed. "Don't thank me, thank the radio station!"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I've got a budget for gas, food, and all that. As long as I get a receipt, I get reimbursed."

"Alright!" Emmett cheered.

"Boys, welcome to the best vacation of our lives!"

**[ Edward ]**

I hadn't ever been a fan of Twizzlers, but as I gnawed on a piece that Jasper had handed me, I decided they weren't that bad really. I tore another piece off with my teeth and tried to tune out Emmett singing along with the Spice Girls. I honestly didn't give a shit what he 'really, really wanted,' I just wanted him to shut up.

About ten miles back, Emmett had taken the laptop and my cellphone away from me, saying that it was 'for my own good.' He was probably right. I was getting a little upset, and that wasn't how I wanted to start this weekend off.

I rubbed my forehead and cursed the day that Jacob Black was born. His stink face and perfectly white teeth just pissed me off. I didn't give a shit that he was supposedly "one of the best Actors of our generation." All I cared about was the he kept his grubby paws off of Bella. She deserved better than him.

I started daydreaming about how much better I could be for her. There were certain advantages about dating someone who wasn't a celebrity. No one knew who I was, and she could easily hide at my house. No one would ever think to look there. Although if that was actually ever going to happen, I would have to find my own apartment; Emmett would probably scare her off within ten minutes. I smiled at the idea of Bella hiding out at the house, being wrapped in my way too big t-shirts and pajama pants. It would be heaven.

Emmett interrupted my day dreaming when he told Jasper that the exit was coming up. I looked up, eager to see just how close the hotel was to the convention center. Maria had told Jasper it was within walking distance. That would be highly convenient.

I drummed my fingers against my legs nervously as Jasper weaved in and out of traffic, turning and stopping until we finally pulled under the awning of the front doors of the hotel.

"Wow," Emmett and I said together.

The hotel was actually right across the street from the convention center. I leaned across Emmett to see if anyone had started lining up yet, and when I didn't see anyone, my whole body seemed to relax. I was so nervous that we wouldn't be able to be first in line. At the very least we had to be in the top twenty to get really good seats.

"Emmett, move," I ordered, and, moving as slow as he possibly could, he got out of the truck. I jumped out as soon as I could and literally sprinted across the street.

I ignored Jasper and Emmett yelling at me; I ignored the cars honking as I shot across the street. None of it mattered because I, Edward Cullen, was going to be first in line.

I stopped at the front gate, giving the three cops standing there a brief smile.

"Are you here for VanCon?" One of them asked me as I looked around the gate, watching the convention workers bringing stuff in and out. It wasn't that I was ignoring him, but my mind was just on other things at the moment.

"Son, did you hear me?" He tapped my shoulder and I nodded my head.

"Yeah, sorry," I nodded.

"Well, we aren't letting people line up until noon." He pointed to a sign that had been taped to the front gate of the convention center.

I looked down at my watch and groaned when I saw that it was only ten fifteen.

"I can't just stand here?" I asked. I promised them I wouldn't be any trouble, but they still told me no.

So, rejected and highly annoyed, I walked back across the street to find Emmett and Jasper unloading all of our bags onto a bellhop cart.

"We can't start lining up till noon." I took the bag Emmett was handing me and threw the strap over my shoulder.

"Oh good, that gives us time to get upstairs and unload and then go find some food." Emmett pushed the cart up the ramp and into the hotel. I followed behind him, wishing that my brother wasn't such a pig.

His quest for snacks was probably going to make us late lining up. That was unacceptable.

Deciding that it wasn't worth a fight right now, I anxiously waited while Jasper checked us in. The girl checking us in took forever. She kept asking us stupid questions about our trip to Vancouver while making the most obnoxious flirting eyes at Jasper. He was polite and answered her questions, but I really wanted to just yell at her to shut the fuck up and give us our room keys. She wasn't his type anyway.

Finally, we got upstairs. Jasper started unpacking his stuff for the station while Emmett kicked all of the bags off of one of the beds and sprawled out.

"I have to go pick up my press pass in about thirty minutes, do you want to go with me?" Jasper asked me, and I nodded excitedly.

"Did you even have to ask?" Emmett laughed, but I ignored him as I started going through my stuff.

I had pre-packed my bag for the wait outside last night, but double-checked that I had everything. Emmett could make fun of me if he wanted, but tomorrow morning when we had all been up for more than twenty-four hours, he would be begging for one of my Listerine strips. I wasn't so sure I would give him one.

I looked at the shirt I packed and decided I might want to pick another one. I dug through my other bag and pulled out a different shirt.

"Which one should I wear tomorrow?" I asked Emmett while Jasper was in the bathroom.

"What's the difference?" Emmett asked.

"The difference is obvious, Emmett." I sighed and held the shirts up again.

"No it isn't, Edward. They are both long-sleeved plaid shirts," he laughed.

I am glad he thought this was so fucking amusing.

"Emmett, one is a larger plaid and the other isn't. Plus, they are both totally different colors," I said like I was explaining it to a three year-old.

"Why the fuck does it matter what you fucking wear, Edward? Just pick a damn shirt." He grabbed the remote and turned the TV on.

"Why does it matter?" I asked, my voice raising at least three octaves. "Bella will be seeing me for the first time tomorrow, Emmett!"

When I started yelling at him, he gave me that 'big brother is going to kick your ass' look, but I ignored him.

"First impressions are important, Emmett. You know a little thing called 'love at first sight' and all." I threw the shirts on the bed and glared at him.

He looked at me, then at Jasper who was coming out of the bathroom with a fresh shirt on.

"I am not getting in the middle of this," Jasper said as he held his hands up and shook his head.

Emmett went back to watching the TV, acting like the whole conversation hadn't even happened, and Jasper picked up one of the shirts and handed it to me.

"The green will look better with your eyes," he said quietly and patted my back.

"Thanks," I muttered and folded it neatly before putting it back in my bag.

"Jasper has a man-gina," Emmett said in a girly sing-song voice, but we both ignored him.

I point blank refused to let him ruin this for me. Brother or not, if he was going to be the dead weight this weekend, I would drop his ass faster than he could down a package of oatmeal cream pies.

This was it. And no one, not Emmett or even Jacob Black, was going to ruin this for me.

******

**CharlsaD:** So, I am sorry for the slow update. Really, I am. You can ask anyone who knows LMW or myself, and they will vouch that we have both been extremely busy. So, we are here… at VanCon… I hope no one gets arrested. To everyone who nominated us for the TwiFic awards, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Hopefully we will make it to the next round and then you guys can start voting! Also, a special thanks for the chicks that made our thread at Twilighted!! Thanks to all the usual people. Love ya lots! Xoxo

**LMW:** hi bbs! Thanks for hanging in there with us—I know it's been a while, but I got a job and CharlsaD is going back to school so, we had to take care of some bidness! I'm so excited that they are AT VanCon! And even if Jasper has a man-gina…I still love him  Thanks to Kendall and the usual suspects! And thanks for the love you've given us with the TwiFic Awards! Come play on our Twilighted thread! It's muy fun!

http://www{dot}twilighted{dot}?f=44&t=5871&st=0&sk=t&sd=a


	8. It's Golden, Baby!

**Disclaimer: We may not own Twilight, but the fucking GOLDEN IDEA of this story is all ours!**

[ Jasper ]

I grabbed my iPhone and checked the _Carlisle's Angels_ app one last time for any signs of updates. _The girls should be here by now, shouldn't they?_ The wheels kept turning in my head.

"C'mon, Edward, let's go. Emmett, try not to eat the luggage while we're gone."

His face was glued to the television, watching some stupid movie, and he simply raised his hand, leaving his middle finger waving in the air. I rolled my eyes and shoved my phone in my pocket, making sure I had my ID and wallet. Edward did the same, and we walked out towards the elevators.

"I know Em's your brother and all, but don't listen to him all the time; he can be a huge douche."

Edward laughed softly to himself. "Did you know when he was younger he dressed up like a girl once to see if he could join the Girl Scouts? He was that desperate for those cookies."

I let out one loud laugh. "Oh shit, I'm saving that information for a rainy day." I clapped Edward on the back. "You're a good man."

We hopped into the elevator and rode down to the second floor. As the doors opened and we walked out, I looked over at Edward. "Before we go in there, there are just a few things I've got to say to you."

He gulped and nodded, preparing for the worst.

"You've just got to relax, man. You're doing a great job, but just—take a deep breath. Rein in your inner fanboy here; don't get in fights with little girls, don't push moms out of the way so you can get to the front, and don't snarl at any other websites. I'm going to do the best I can to get you some juicy stuff for your site, but just, promise me you won't go over the edge?"

He looked down at his feet and nodded.

"You know, Emmett wanted to hire a prostitute for you because he thought you were too wound up."

His head shot up and his eyes turned an icy green. "What."

I nodded. "True story. But I talked him out of it. So don't prove me wrong."

He stared at me, and I nudged his shoulder as I walked past him towards the registration tables. A cute blonde-haired girl was sitting behind the desk.

"Name?" she asked with a Southern twang.

I leaned forward on the table. "Jasper Whitlock, KAOS 89.3 Olympia."

She flipped through her box of index cards and pulled out a lanyard pass, the word PRESS written in large letters along with my name. My insides quivered with excitement.

She flitted her eyelashes at me before turning to Edward. "And your name?"

"Oh, uh, I'm…"

"He's my assistant, but I don't think there's a credential in there for him. Do you happen to have any extra?"

"Sign here and I'll go check," she giggled, pushing an index card toward my face.

I pulled a pen out from the stack and quickly signed for my pass. I looked over at Edward, and he looked like he was about to throw up.

"Act cool, man," I reminded him. He nodded furiously.

The girl came back with a pout on her face. "Boss says we don't have any extras, but check back in a bit. If someone doesn't check in, we'll gladly get your…assistant…a pass."

I nodded at her and flashed a smile. "Thank you…"

"Charlotte," she supplied.

"Well, thank you, Charlotte, you've been very helpful." I nudged Edward.

"Yes, thank you," he said softly.

We waved goodbye and I slung the pass around my neck. "Well, I'll definitely check back later for you, man. Whatever I can do to help out."

He smiled. "Thanks."

We let ourselves back into the room to find Emmett in his boxers, passed out on the bed, one arm and leg hanging off the side. His snores were so loud you'd think a tornado was coming through.

Edward went to nudge him, but I pulled him back. "Wait, there's something I've always wanted to do." I crept up next to Emmett and cupped my hands around my mouth. I leaned close to Emmett's ear and made a high-pitched noise.

Emmett jumped up from his position, his hand slapping me across the face.

"Mother fucker!" I screamed, clutching my cheek.

"Well that's what you fucking get, you asshole!"

Edward was in the corner cracking up. We both glared at him.

"Well, it's time to get up, douchebag. Line up starts at noon, and it's," I looked over at my watch, "11:30. We need to get our shit together and get going."

"I don't wanna go wait in line. Can't I just stay here?" Emmett groaned.

I didn't dare look at Edward—I knew there would be a look of disappointment on his face. I had to save this one.

"Emmett, when we signed up for this, we vowed to do it all together. That includes standing in line. Edward can't stand there alone, and I've got to interview people so they will pay for this fucking hotel we'll be sleeping in. Now put your damn clothes on before I go blind and let's get the fuck out of here."

I opened up one of my suitcases that were full of equipment and pulled out some supplies I would need—microphone, audio recorder, video camera, etc. I grabbed the rest of my stuff off Edward's "camp out" list and shoved it in a duffle bag.

When I turned around, Edward was all packed and ready, checking his hair in the mirror, and Emmett was pulling on a hoodie. I picked up a Ding-Dong that I had saved from him and tossed it at his face. "C'mon, big boy, let's rock and roll."

[Emmett]

Emmett is pissed. Not just kind of pissed, but _really_ pissed. My ass had been sitting out on this goddamn sidewalk for over eight hours, and I was really starting to get annoyed by all the high-pitched screaming from the fifteen year-old girls. If you even mentioned the name Jacob Black the entire place erupted in squeals that could rupture an eardrum. _Not fucking cool._

Jasper and Edward had ditched me while they went see about an extra press pass for Edward. I stood out there by myself like a fucktard and waited for their asses to get back. To think that Edward would have been able to walk in and walk out was a huge mistake on my part. You know his ass had to sneak around and navigate the best way to get to the front of that fucking auditorium. I wouldn't be surprised if later on he drew a detailed map and made all of us synchronize our watches. _Well fuck him._

The snacks that Jasper had bought didn't last long; it wasn't my fault my body was like a well-oiled machine that needed constant fuel. And the sideways glares that Edward was throwing my way anytime I mentioned food were about to earn him a kidney punch, maybe even a junk punch. _Just sayin'._

I sighed in boredom and pushed myself up off the pavement. I stretched my legs and swung my arms from side to side. I was stiff, and not in a good way.

"Emmett, I told you to bring a book or something," Edward said while looking up at me. "You knew we were going to be out here a while."

For a second I considered telling him to take his damn books and shove them up his ass, but I didn't—a fight wasn't worth it. Instead I watched Jasper walking up and down the line of people waiting.

It's a crime how much play that kid got and never cashed in on. All he had to do was give them a smile and those panties dropped faster than tequila. He would mutter a 'yes ma'am' or 'darlin' and those girls would get on their knees, ready, willing and hella fucking eager. I was willing to bet money that he could have easily taken any of those girls back to that hotel room and given his 'Magic Man' ringtone a whole new meaning. But like the pansy ass that he was, he didn't. He would laugh and move on down the line, pining away for Alice Brandon and passing up an infinite amount of muffin' love. It was pathetic.

Don't get me wrong, I thought Rosalie Hale was a major piece of hot ass. But there was no way I would pass up an opportunity to hit it with someone else just on the off chance that one day she might actually pick my ass out of a crowd of thousands of people. It just wasn't happening, unless Rosalie herself was standing in front of me saying "I do," and the chances of that happening were slim to none.

I sighed before sitting back down next to Edward who was now doodling or some shit. I watched him for a while, not really paying attention, until the squares he was drawing started looking more and more familiar. I turned my head and squinted, and sure enough, that mother fucker was drawing a diagram of the convention center.

A loud and obnoxious laugh left my mouth before I could even try to stop myself. I shook my head, amazed at how well I knew my brother.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I asked through my laughter, ignoring the look of annoyance he was trying to pull off.

"I am just trying to find the best way to get inside; you know once they open those gates this place will go crazy!" He yelled at me before looking around. I saw him giving some chick a dirty look before moving closer to me and lowering his voice. "There are two sets of gates, not just this one, but another one inside that we will have to wait outside of until tomorrow morning."

"We are first in line Edward. How the fuck are people are going to beat us inside?"

"Emmett, some of these girls are crazy!" He whispered frantically.

I wanted to tell him to take a look in the mirror but decided that even if he was fucking insane at times, he was still my baby brother.

"Ok, so what the hell do you want to do?" I sighed and took the map he had been drawing. I listened as he explained something about dividing and conquering, but the longer he explained, the less I paid attention. "Edward, this could be much simpler."

"Oh yeah? How?" He asked, as if daring me to come up with something better.

It wasn't hard. We would have to be stealthy, and it would mean one of us making a sacrifice, but I was willing to do it. I stood up and waved Jasper over. Once he joined us, Edward went over his diagram again. I could tell Jasper was trying as hard as he could not to laugh. When he finished, I looked over Edward's shoulder to make sure no one was listening to us.

"So, that is Edward's idea, and here is mine," I cut in as I clapped my hands and rubbed them together. "One of us, meaning me, will climb over this gate and wait until they start letting people line up for the second gate."

They both stared at me, and Jasper spoke first.

"_You_ want to scale a security gate?"

"Yup," I nodded and looked at the gate behind me. It wasn't _that_ tall. If I could get Jasper to give me a boost then I was sure I could make it.

"Emmett, that is the worst idea ever," Edward said, pulling his diagram out of my hand.

"How is it a bad idea? I will sit on the other side and talk to you until it gets closer to time. Then I will stealthily run over there and hide behind that pillar and jump out as they start letting people in. This plan is GOLDEN!"

Jasper rubbed the back of his neck while looking between Edward and me. Those fuckers knew it was a good idea, they were just jealous they didn't think of it first.

"What if someone sees you?" Edward asked nervously.

I had to admit that was a problem, but every problem had a solution. I walked past Edward and gave my best charming smile to the girls sitting behind us.

"Hey ladies," I said smoothly while leaning against the wall. They both looked up at me, and I could tell they were already falling for my dimples. It happened frequently. I introduced myself to them and found out that the brunette was Chelsea and the redhead was Becca.

"I have a bet going with my buddies over there," I tilted my head to indicate Jasper and Edward, "that I can't scale this wall. So I was wondering if you ladies would mind judging this little contest for me."

Chelsea looked back at her friend for a second before looking back up at me.

"You're lying just so one of you can get inside first, aren't you?"

"Whaaaaat?" I laughed lightly while Jasper and Edward shook their heads. "Why would you think that?"

"Because that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard; no one would be that stupid," she said and looked past me to Jasper who was laughing again.

This was the first girl my dimples didn't work on. Normally I could just smile and ask for something and it would work like magic, like I said… frequently.

"So, why don't you just tell me what you really want instead of wasting my time?" She sighed and her friend laughed.

_Well shit._

"I want to scale the gate and wait inside so we can be first in line, and I don't want you to say anything to the Mounties about me cheating," I said plainly and crossed my arms across my chest.

She looked at her friend who was watching Edward with extreme interest, then back at me. "And what would we get out of this bargain?"

"Well, fuck, I don't know, what do you want?" I was starting to get annoyed; her little smart ass remarks were pissing me off.

"I noticed your friend has a Press Pass, and I want to see if he can get me some special privileges."

_Damn, this girl was ruthless._ I looked back at Jasper who only laughed and shrugged his shoulders. Edward was nervously chewing on the inside of his thumb, probably scared to death we would get kicked out, or that Becca was about to throw him to the ground and just have at it with him.

"What kind of privileges? Trust me, it won't be anything spectacular, if he had _those _kinds of powers my ass wouldn't be sitting out here."

"Well, we heard that WeeStan was going to be here and…" Chelsea started, but I cut her off.

"What the fuck is a WeeStan?"

Edward went to answer me when Becca cut him off.

"WeeStan is Jessica Stanley's little brother," she explained like I was an idiot. "He is only the most delicious piece of ginger man flesh ever."

_Man flesh? Ginger man flesh? What the fuck?!_

"If you're asking if I can get you inside to meet him, I can't; I can't even get my friends in," Jasper chimed in and shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry girls."

"But tomorrow when you're doing press, you will see their managers and stuff, right? Like, they will all be there waiting?" Chelsea asked hopefully.

"They could be, but I honestly don't know," he told her.

"Well, if you see him, call and let me know so I can let people on IMDb know," Becca said excitedly as she and Jasper exchanged information.

I had no idea who this WeeStan kid was, but the fact that these girls were leveraging their one card against us for him had to mean _something_. I wondered if I shouted WeeStan if the girls would start screaming again. I decided not to chance it.

So while Chelsea and Becca kept watch, Jasper, Edward and I tried to figure out the best way for me to climb over this gate. We eventually decided that if Jasper could boost me, I could hold on to the outer wall and pull myself over, using the gate as catalyst for my feet to push me over.

It couldn't be that hard.

Jasper leaned down, making a stirrup with his hands for my foot. I counted to three, but the second any of my weight shifted to Jasper, he dropped my foot. After the fifth try I was starting to get seriously annoyed.

"God, Jasper, just give me a fucking boost! It isn't that hard!" I yelled at him while Edward laughed.

"Emmett, I can't lift your fat ass!" He groaned, shaking his hand wildly in the air.

"Fine! Edward, come kneel down and I will stand on your knees." I sighed and wondered why I always had to be the fucking problem solver out of the three of us.

After a few seconds of grumbling, Edward eventually agreed to help. I used both of their legs as stepstools until I had a sturdy grip on the top of the wall. I pulled as hard as I could, but nothing helped. It looked like I was holding on to the top of the wall and running in place. I tried to use my feet to climb over, but nothing fucking worked!

"Push me over!" I yelled back at Jasper and Edward as both of them tried to push me. I felt someone's hand getting a little too close to my ass crack and yelled at them to watch it.

"No one is trying to feel up your ass, Emmett!" Jasper yelled at me. I started to say something, but when Chelsea told me she wouldn't mind feeling up on my ass, I decided to keep my mouth shut. She was a feisty one.

"Swing your leg over to the top of the gate and push with your legs, Emmett!" Edward groaned while trying to push my leg up high enough for me to reach it. That was a really fucking bad idea.

My foot ended up getting stuck between the bars of the gate, and when I tried to use my other foot to push off of the wall, my groin pulled and I screamed like a ten year-old girl that just got to meet Jacob Black.

I tried to pull my leg out of the gate which only made it worse. I could practically feel my muscles ripping apart. I tried to stay calm, but I couldn't help the irrational fear that my boys might be injured. Someone needed to help, _ASA-fucking-P_.

"GET ME OFF OF THIS FUCKING WALL!" I screamed as my free leg started flailing helplessly. "NOW! GET ME OFF NOW!"

Jasper and Edward hurriedly came up with a game plan. I didn't care that it involved my ass resting on the back of Jasper's shoulder while Edward crawled onto the gate and pulled my leg down. I didn't care that my favorite jeans ripped, right at the crotch, or that one of my shoes was now on the other side of that mother fuckin' gate. All I cared about was that when my ass landed on the pavement, it meant that my junk was still intact and not in any immediate danger of being injured. _Thank God._

"I told you this was a bad idea!" Edward huffed as he and Jasper panted, trying to catch their breath.

"That idea was fucking golden, Edward! Don't judge it!" I yelled and tenderly rubbed my thigh. _God, that fucking hurt._

"I am so glad we got to sit by you guys," Becca giggled, smiling as Chelsea waved her cell phone at us. "We just uploaded that shit on YouTube!"

_Well, fuck my life._

[Jasper]

I didn't care if I looked like an idiot or a moron because my hand fucking hurt. "Emmett, your fat ass almost broke my hand!"

"Shut the fuck up and take it like a man," he said.

I glared at him. "No more snacks for you."

Edward was giggling and talking to Becca and Chelsea.

"What is so fucking funny?" Emmett asked.

Edward was holding his side. "This video—it's—it's—oh, God I can't breathe!"

I looked over his shoulder and laughed. "I'm going to use that in my radio re-cap for sure."

Emmett narrowed his eyes at me. "You better not, or so help me God, Jasper Whitlock, you will be living in a hospital and walking with a limp the rest of your days."

I held up my hands. "Fine, I surrender!"

He nodded. "That's what I thought."

I picked up my microphone and travel pack. "Okay, I'm going to go get a few more interviews in." I walked down the line, smiling at the young girls with their parents, and the older girls who looked about my age.

Two of them made eye contact with me and smiled. "Hi," the one girl said.

"Hello, ladies. I'm Jasper and I'm here with KAOS 89.3, Olympia. I'm doing some interviews of fans while they wait in line. Would either of y'all be interested in helpin' me out?"

They giggled and blushed, looking at each other before nodding.

"Where are you from?" the dark-haired girl asked.

"Texas."

"I recognized your accent. Lubbock area?"

My eyebrows jumped up. "Midland, actually."

The other girl squealed. "I have a friend who lives in Midland!"

"Oh really?"

She nodded. "Yes! What a small world!"

A light bulb went off in my head and I realized what this girl was doing—she thought if we became friends I would take her backstage or something. Suddenly I felt very used and…dirty.

"Definitely. Well, can I ask you a few questions for the show?"

They nodded emphatically.

"Okay, tell me who your favorite Angel is and why."

The second girl, whom I learned was named Paige, jumped in front of her friend. "My favorite is Bella! She's so pretty and normal looking!"

The first girl, Lindsey, looked at her crossly. "And what is wrong with Alice Brandon? She's the cutest one! And I heard she's the nicest. There's NEVER any drama about her in the news—but Bella? Always stuff with her and Jacob, or that other actor, Mike Newton. Too much drama with that one. Alice Brandon for the win."

Paige glared at her. "Two words—Nudie pics."

I jumped between them. "Well, thank you, ladies. I think I have more than enough information."

Paige wrote down something and slipped it into my jeans pocket. "If you wanna hang out later, call me."

I nodded and walked back towards the guys, shuddering.

"Dude, you look like you just got attacked. What happened?" Becca asked from behind us.

"Angels fans—sheesh! They are ruthless! I thought these two girls were gonna fight each other! And then the one girl slipped her number in my pocket!"

Emmett held out his hand. "If she's hot, I want it."

I ripped it out of my pocket and tossed it at him. He grinned.

"Paige, nice. Sounds sexy."

I rolled my eyes and threw my stuff down. "I need a drink or something. I'm gonna walk down to the convenience store."

Emmett looked up with a hopeful gleam in his eye.

"Yes, I'll get you a fucking snack."

Edward nodded and I turned to walk away. I laughed when I heard Emmett scream "Corn dog! I want a corn dog!"

I enjoyed the silence of the walk, getting a chance to be away from all the other fans. I knew Edward, Emmett, and I were pretty intense, but these women were driving me insane. I hoped I could survive this weekend with all my clothes on. That is, unless Alice Brandon wanted me naked.

I hummed an old country song my mama used to sing to me when I was little and smiled. I decided to call mama after this weekend and fill her in on my life.

I pushed the door to the convenience store open and nodded at the man behind the counter. "Crazy weekend?"

He laughed. "You don't even know," he said.

I shrugged my shoulders and held up my press pass for the convention.

"Okay, maybe you do."

I walked back towards the drinks and grabbed a six-pack of Red Bull in case it was a long night. I faintly heard the door chime again as I stood in an aisle full of candy. I grabbed a small pack of Twizzlers, some M&Ms and gummy bears, heading back towards the front of the store. I tossed them down on the counter and walked back towards the magazines, scanning for new pictures or something to keep Edward occupied during the night rather than fighting with some girls. I grabbed a few Little Debbies and some bottles of water, thinking I might take some to the girls we met in line. I heard hushed whispers as I made my way towards the front.

I spotted the Juicy Fruit and made a beeline for it. As soon as I went to grab a pack, my hand collided with another one and we both pulled back simultaneously.

"I'm so sorr—y" I started.

"Me, too, I—I"

I looked up from the gum and about pissed right there in my pants. I had just grazed hands with Alice Brandon.

Alice fucking Brandon. Cue the flying angels and the heavenly music.

She smiled softly at me and I swear my heart thumped three times in a row without stopping.

"No, I should have been watching what I was doin," I drawled, my accent becoming more noticeable when I was nervous.

She blushed, looking down at the floor. "No, it was totally my fault."

She was gorgeous. Even in some workout pants and a tank top, her sports bra peeking out, she looked like a Barbie doll. Her hair was pulled back with a headband and I didn't think she was wearing any make-up. But damn, she was absolutely beautiful.

I nervously rubbed the back of my neck. _What was I supposed to say? 'I think you're the hottest woman I've ever laid eyes on and I'd love to take you back to my room?'_

I don't think so.

I discreetly shoved my press pass in my back pocket and snatched up a pack of gum, tossing it in my hand. "I'm Jasper," I said hurriedly.

She smiled. "I'm Alice, nice to meet you."

I fought the urge to scream out 'I know who you are!' and gave her a warm smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

I held up the gum. "Can I buy you a pack?"

She nodded. "That would be nice of you."

I grabbed a whole fucking handful of gum and slapped it down with the rest of my stuff. Alice stood next to me and I could smell her—she was a mixture of cotton and cinnamon and perfection.

The man rang my stuff up and I tossed him a twenty. I scooped up a few packs into a paper bag and handed them to Alice. She smiled.

"So, Jasper, do you live around here?"

I shook my head. "Nope, I'm just here on business."

"Oh, that's nice; I am, too."

I nodded, because I couldn't lie to this girl.

"Maybe we—"she started, but a loud crash interrupted us.

We both turned our heads to see Bella Swan dive headfirst into a rack of candy. Her best friend, Jessica Stanley, was standing near her, giggling.

Bella stood up with a 'what the fuck' face and tossed her hood over her head. She punched Jessica in the arm and grabbed Alice.

"Let's go," she said in her adorable British accent.

I raised my eyebrow. I would have to tell Edward about this.

Alice turned to me with sad eyes. "It was nice to meet you, Jasper."

I nodded. "Definitely, Alice. Most definitely."

Bella tugged on her. "Now."

They turned around and walked out. I heard Jessica talking to Alice. "Why did you give him your real name?!"

Alice turned around to look at me again and smiled. I whipped out my phone and snapped a picture, taking another one of Bella but only getting the back of her body, her black zipped-up hoodie over her head.

My heart was breaking as I watched Alice walk away. I looked over at the cashier and he winked at me.

"You know who that is…" he hinted.

I nodded. "Only the most magnificent woman I've ever laid eyes on."

I grabbed the bag of snacks and slipped my phone back in my pocket. I headed back down the street towards the line with a spring in my step. I had just met Alice Brandon and Bella Swan.

I could die a happy man.

I was whistling as I walked back to the front of the line, getting the stank eye from those farther back. I walked up to the guys and grinned.

"What the fuck took you so long? And where is my corn dog?!" Emmett whined.

I shoved the bag down at Emmett and pulled out my phone. "I got something even better."

"That better be a nude Rosalie picture."

Edward looked up at me, so I pulled up the picture and handed him my phone. He studied it intently before whipping his eyes back up to mine. "Shut up."

I raised my hands. "Can't."

"What? WHAT!? I wanna see!" Emmett whined, his mouth full of Little Debbie. Edward passed him the phone and he stared at it before looking back up to me.

"Where is Rosalie?"

Edward elbowed him in the side. "Shut up," he hissed. "You'll draw a crowd."

"In case you haven't noticed, we're in a crowd already." He looked back to me. "Details. NOW."

I sat down next to them while Edward stared at the pictures again. I recapped the story for them in exact detail. They both listened intently. Afterwards I leaned back.

"So, I'm sorry I couldn't get a better picture for you, Edward, but she was running pretty fast. The girl can move."

He shrugged. "Give me full permission and rights on these pics and we'll call it even."

"Done."

Emmett frowned. "Where was my woman?"

"Can't say. Didn't get a chance to ask."

Edward was staring at me sadly. I knew he was jealous he wasn't there. I clapped him on the shoulder. "No worries, man, I'm going to try to get an extra pass for you."

"Do you think she'll remember you when you go for the interview?" He asked.

"Nah—you know she probably meets a million fans a day."

"I got to hand it to you, Jasper. You're one lucky son of a bitch," Emmett started. "Who ever thought that Red Bull and Juicy Fruit would bring you to Alice fucking Brandon?"

I thought about it. "Yeah, that's pretty awesome, Em."

We sat in silence for a few minutes before Emmett interrupted. "I think I'm gonna start chewing gum."

** ** **

**LMW:** hey, readers! Hope you loved the chapter! I will be gone this weekend at a Twilight convention, getting dirt to use in the story. If any of you are going to EyeCon Orlando, look for me! I'll also be tweeting all weekend from Melsvfp if you are interested in following!

Thanks to the usual suspects and I'll see you after my con!

**JUSTFORKIT:** So, number one I changed my penname. Also, FINALLY A STALKING CHAPTER! We have been so busy but please know we are constantly thinking of new stuff for this!! So um, thanks for all the reviews. And just to lay down a little understanding in case you haven't figured it out yet. Bella is based off of… Rob. Yes, yes, we all love him. Jessica is none other than the TomStu, which leaves us with the delectable "Ginger Man Flesh." WeeStu is Tom's little brother, Arthur. If you don't know who that kid is, you should. He has his own thread on the Robert Pattinson IMDb board. That being said, I hope y'all enjoyed and love y'all!


	9. In It To Win It

**Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight, but we do own Emmett's Fivesome. Details below.**

[ Emmett ]

"Where have you been?" Edward asked frantically as I finished crossing the street. "You left to go change your jeans like an hour ago."

"You survived, didn't you? Didn't kill any fangirls for mentioning 'he who must not be named?'" I asked him while pushing the sleeves of my hoodie up on my arms, winking at Chelsea and Becca.

Edward glared at me as I resumed my position on the pavement next to him. He could be pissed all he wanted to, but when I agreed to this trip, I never said I would sit outside for over twelve hours. I continued ignoring his persistent stare and started digging through the rest of the food Jasper had picked up. _That fucker stole the last Twinkie_. I sighed and pulled out an Oatmeal Cream Pie and shoved it in my mouth after pulling the wrapper off.

After a few seconds, Edward gasped and hit the back of my head, making me choke on the pie and start coughing erratically.

"You had sex!" He said loudly as Chelsea pounded on my back. "You can't keep it in your pants for one night, Emmett? _Really_?"

After successfully _not_ choking, I glared at my brother. "Why the fuck does it matter if I had sex? And how the hell do you know?"

"You kind of have that post coital glow about you," Becca said from next to me. I gave her a brief glance; she smiled smugly before going back to her phone.

"Who the hell do you know here to have sex with?" Edward asked me, completely ignoring the fact that I had asked him anything. I opened my mouth to tell him to mind his own fucking business when he interrupted me. "Please tell me you didn't hire a prostitute."

"Dude, that's disgusting if you did," Chelsea said while Becca nodded her head in agreement. Both of them looked at my crotch as if it was some sort of demon-being.

"Ok, number one, fuck you very much, but this is a private conversation. You two can butt out," I told the two girls before looking back at Edward. "And for your information, Emmett Cullen does not pay for sex. Paige was just looking for a productive way to waste some time, so I figured why not."

"Paige?!?" All three of them asked loudly. _Was it really that difficult to mind your own damn business?_

"What? Did you want it to be one of you?" I looked at both of the girls and they glared at me. Becca probably had no interest; she was saving herself for the ginger lion or whatever the fuck they called him. Chelsea, however, probably wanted all up on my junk, and I was totally fine with that. We still had two days before we left.

"This is wrong, Emmett, she's not one of us," Edward said while wrapping his earbuds around his iPod to put back in his bag.

"Edward, when your clothes are off and you're in the dark, it doesn't fucking matter. She was a nice girl; too bad she lives in Texas." He started to say something but I stopped him. "Just give me your damn iPod. I'm done talking about this."

After a classic Edward scowl and huff, he handed me the iPod and I put the buds in my ears. I hit play to drown out the sound of Edward complaining with Becca and Chelsea about how big of a man whore I am. I started scrolling through the playlists and had to stop when I saw one labeled "Beautiful Swan." _Really?_ I mean, _really?_

I hit play while watching Edward out of the corner of my eye. That fucker was a little obsessed in a funny way. I listened to the first few songs, deciding they weren't too bad. A lot of cheesy ass eighties love ballads, but all in all not too horrible.

I leaned my head back against the wall, closing my eyes and hoping for a little relaxation before all hell broke loose when we were moved to the next gate. I knew Edward was internally freaking out--he was so nervous about someone getting in front of us. I would seriously clothesline any bitch who tried. I had put up with way too much shit to just sit by and let that happen.

I had never been to a convention before, but I could pretty much guarantee how the next two days were going to go down. We would wait outside, all fucking night, then bright and early, be shuffled into the convention hall. Edward would change clothes at least five times and text Jasper endlessly while we waited for him to finish his interview. Jasper would finish and meet up with us after rubbing one out to the sound of Alice Brandon's voice in the bathroom. We would sit through the boring ass FanFiction panel, and Edward would have a fucking coronary when Bella Swan made her way to the front of the room. He would scream, maybe even cry, and I would be incredibly thankful that I had been designated to film this shit. The fact that I would be able to watch Edward loose his shit anytime I wanted almost made all of this worth it.

My mind was numb after a few _Chicago_ songs and I jumped when a deep voice started telling me that his mind was telling him no, but his body kept telling him yes. I sat up and looked incredulously at my brother.

"What?" He asked when I continued staring at him.

Without even thinking I just started singing along with the song. "I don't see nothing wrong… with a little bump and grind."

His eyes widened for a split second before narrowing into the familiar glare. He held his hand out for his iPod, but I held it away from him and continued singing. I had no idea what my brother was doing listening to R. Kelly, but the mental image of him singing along to this made my fucking day.

"You are such a dick," he growled after punching my arm.

"What's going on?" Jasper asked while sitting his bag down and pulling another Red Bull out of the bag as he looked between the two of us. "Emmett, do I want to know why you are singing R. Kelly?"

"Edward has it on his iPod," I laughed while moving my head along with the music. "Under his Bella Swan sexy-time playlist."

Edward took advantage of my distraction and pulled the iPod out of my hand.

"Dude, calm down--I'm just saying, I wouldn't even expect you to listen to R. Kelly. You are more of a whiney ass guitar and piano kind of guy," I said to Edward while handing the earphones back to him.

"You have no idea what kind of music I am interested in, Emmett."

"Right, because the fact that Bella Swan showed up for an interview drunk and started singing it has nothing to do with this." I looked at Jasper for back-up, but he pressed his lips together to keep from laughing.

Edward pouted for the next hour, only looking at me when I would mention how much longer we had until it was time to move. As the time got closer, we each started gathering things we would need to carry. Jasper would only be observing since he really didn't need a space in line, but had agreed to hold onto one of our bags. I needed to be able to have my arms free in case I had to fuck someone up. Both Becca and Chelsea had agreed to help us as long as we promised to help save them seats outside the second gate and inside the convention hall.

Both of those girls were a serious pain in my ass, but Becca was tiny and could probably maneuver around people easily. Chelsea was built like a fucking linebacker and could probably throw down if I needed the help. So our trio became a fivesome and it was fuckawesome.

"Ok, so here's how this is going to go down," I said quietly while looking around at everyone. "Edward, you're the fastest so you go first; Becca, you go after him and Chelsea and I will bring up the back."

All of them nodded while Jasper shook his head and laughed.

"Chelsea, you better not be a fucking baby about shit. If someone tries to get past you, you had better knock those bitches down on the pavement. Got it?" I looked down at her and winked when she nodded. "Alright team, in it to win it!"

"In it to win it?" Jasper laughed, but stopped when the four of us glared at him.

The amount of security these people had in place was beyond ridiculous. But when people started getting shoved in the back of cop cars for trying to cut in line, I started to understand why. These bitches were insane.

"Edward, I swear to God if you don't haul ass I will hurt you," I told him while people started screaming a count down.

He only nodded and kept his eyes focused on the gate in front of us. I couldn't help but smile as the atmosphere crackled with electricity. I was in my mother fucking element, and I knew we would totally dominate this shit.

I rolled my shoulders and popped my neck as the countdown reached ten and pushed my sleeves up on my arms. Chelsea laughed and when I held my fist out, she lightly bumped it.

"Bring it," I told her and she nodded before looking forward.

The second that fucking gate opened, Edward and Becca were running through it. It was probably a good thing that Edward was so thin because his ass slid through that gate before it was even opened a full two feet.

"Go, Becca! Run!" Chelsea yelled while watching the two of them run ahead of us.

I should have told her to not pay attention to what was in front of her, because it was behind us that was the real fucking problem. I saw something out of my peripheral vision and turned my head slightly to see some teenage asshole bumrush Chelsea.

He pushed against her back, trying to get her out of the way--his first mistake. I grabbed Chelsea and held her up as she started to fall and pushed the fucktard away from us with my other hand.

"Hey, asshole!" He yelled at me and tried to grab onto my arm, which was strike number two. Fuck three--this douche was going down now. I made sure Chelsea was up and running before letting go of her arm and grabbing the front of that guy's shirt and throwing him behind me.

I have no idea if I hit someone else when I threw him backwards. All I cared about was the fact that I heard his ass hit the pavement and continued running after Chelsea, Becca, and Edward.

Some girl who was maybe twelve was running up from behind Chelsea; I opened my mouth to yell at her to watch out, but before I had a chance, Chelsea held her arm out and the girl ran straight into it. Without missing a beat, she kept hauling ass after Edward and Becca, who had already reached the gate and were laughing and giving each other high fives. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little proud of the three of them.

I slowed to a jog as I reached the group and we all smiled while trying to catch our breath.

"Holy shit…"Edward panted while holding his hands on his hips and taking deep breaths.

"That… was…win," Becca laughed while holding her arms over her head.

"I would have face planted if Emmett hadn't saved my ass." Chelsea hip-checked me and I stumbled sideways. Damn, that girl was handful.

"Like I would ever let that happen. I got your back, baby," I threw an arm around her neck and pulled her towards me. Worth hooking up with? Probably not, but both of those girls were chill. And anyone who could clothesline a fucking twelve year old was a-okay in my book.

******

[ Edward ]

"Did you set the alarm on your phone?" I asked Jasper for the fourth time. He sighed and nodded.

"I promise I set it, Edward."

The three of us were tired and it was starting to show. The high that Emmett and I had been feeling after making it to the second gate faded after about thirty minutes, being replaced with cranky exhaustion.

Along with Becca and Chelsea, we all agreed to take shifts sleeping. It probably wouldn't have been a big deal for all of us to sleep, but Emmett had pissed off a couple of people by shoving one of them into the ground. So it was probably better that at least one of us stayed awake. Jasper was going to take the first watch.

"I admit that the sleeping bags were a good idea," Emmett yawned and tossed one of the bags to me before trying to pull his own out of its cover. "Ok, what the fuck?"

I looked over at him, but couldn't see what the problem was. "What?"

"Why the fuck do we have a _My Little Pony_ sleeping bag?" He asked loudly while pulling it all the way out its bag. "I sure as hell know this is not mine."

"Oh, it's one of my sisters. I grabbed the wrong one by mistake," Jasper explained while the girls laughed at Emmett holding up a girly cartoon sleeping bag.

"Well, I am not sleeping with this--someone switch me," he complained loudly then looked at Jasper. "Your sister is fucking twenty-six years old, how long have you had this damn thing?"

Jasper shrugged before looking up at Emmett and smiling. "Circa 1982."

"Emmett, just use it, please," I groaned. I really didn't want a huge scene with him again.

"You use it, Edward--switch me." He held the cartoon sleeping bag out for me to take.

"Emmett, this is actually _my_ sleeping bag. It has the hypoallergenic lining and I really don't want to wake up sneezing and shit." I pulled my own sleeping bag around me and shook my head. "I told you to bring your own."

The last thing I needed was to meet Bella with a red, runny nose and watering eyes. That definitely wasn't the first impression I wanted to make.

Emmett stared at me for a second before looking back at Jasper. "Where's the other bag?"

"You only packed two," He told him plainly while playing with his phone.

"No, I packed three; three were on the list and I know I put three in the back of your truck," Emmett argued.

"Well, we only have two," Jasper said as he continued to ignore him.

I watched as Emmett took the sleeping bag he was holding and threw it down on the ground. "Fuck this! I am not sleeping outside in a fucking _My Little Pony_ sleeping bag! Either someone switches with me, or I'm going back to the hotel and sleeping in the mother fucking bed."

"Emmett, stop being a baby," I yawned, and arranged my backpack under my head like a pillow. "Just go to sleep you'll feel better."

He glared at me, then back to Jasper. When neither one of us cowered down, he looked behind him at Becca and Chelsea. They both pulled their sleeping bags up higher and smiled at him.

"This is bullshit!" He muttered angrily and reluctantly lay down and tried to slip into the sleeping bag. "This doesn't even cover my junk!"

I looked over at my brother to see him snuggled into the glittery pink sleeping bag that only reached the middle of his thighs.

"Good thing you changed pants, big boy, or it might have been a little drafty," Jasper said while keeping his eyes trained on his phone. I smiled but didn't laugh like Chelsea and Becca did--he was my brother, after all.

Emmett glared at all of us for a second before pulling the sleeping bag off of him and unzipping it. He huffed and pulled the blanket over himself and rolled over. All was silent for a while.

"Total bullshit!" He said again, but after a few moments got quiet.

After a while, I rolled onto my back and looked up at the sky above us. I could only make out a few stars; most of them hidden by the city lights, but the moon was beautiful. It made me heart skip erratically to think that somewhere in this same city, Bella Swan was sleeping.

In a few hours I would be meeting her, seeing her face to face, breathing the same air that she was. In a few hours I would be staring into the eyes of the most beautiful creature God had ever created.

My life would be complete.

"Hey, Jasper," I said quietly while still staring above me.

"Yeah?"

"What did she seem like?" I knew he knew what I was talking about. The fact that he had actually seen Bella and Jessica, and even got to meet Alice, made me insanely jealous, but it honestly couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

"Bella seemed really down to Earth," he said quietly, and I turned to see him. He was smiling and shrugging his shoulders. "To be really honest, I don't remember much besides Alice."

"And what did _she_ seem like," I laughed quietly while his cheeks flushed and his head dipped a little. I had never seen Jasper like this, not even when he started dating Anne.

"She seemed…" He looked up at the sky for a second, as if deciding how to answer. "She seemed perfect."

I smiled at the sincerity in his voice. "I'm glad you got to meet her outside of the convention, just to see her in a normal environment."

He nodded before looking back at me. "Hey, what was the deal with Jessica pushing Bella into a candy display?"

I smiled and shook my head--those two were incorrigible together.

"After they finished filming the last movie, Bella went back to London," I explain and Jasper nodded. "Well, you remember how there were, like, no pictures of her for months? Then all of a sudden there are pictures of the two of them in that store? You remember the ones where those assholes were following behind them with fur coats?"

"Oh yeah, I remember. I remember wondering who the hell wears fur these days, especially men." Jasper nodded so I continued.

"Well, there were rumors that Peak Productions tipped the press off that she would be there. So they are in this tiny store and all of a sudden, all these photographers show up. So Jessica was trying to get Bella out of there, and in the process of dragging her out of the store, she accidentally ran her into a shelf of candy. It's become an inside joke between them now."

Jasper laughed quietly and shook his head. "How do you know this?"

"I know someone who knows one of their friends," I said vaguely and Jasper cocked an eyebrow at me. "Seriously, I can't tell you."

"Edward, come on," he laughed and pushed on my shoulder.

"No, seriously, I can't tell you, Jasper. If she ever found out she would castrate me, and I like my balls too much to risk that."

My source, which I only referred to as "Ginger Gossip," had been providing me with inside information for years. She was a huge fan of both Jessica and her brother. I never used the information on the website, but it always helped to have inside information. She had been able to get me advance copies of a few scripts and given me personal pictures; basically, I couldn't afford to piss her off.

"Okay," he said suspiciously, but thankfully let it drop.

We talked for a few more minutes and eventually the sleep that I was sure I wouldn't ever get finally took over. It only felt like I had been asleep for a few seconds when Emmett was shaking me and telling me to wake up.

I slowly opened my eyes and was shocked to see that it was bright outside. Panicked, I tried to stand up too fast, forgetting I was inside a sleeping bag, and ended up falling back down.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" I yelled while trying to untangle myself from the sleeping bag.

"Dude, calm down, we can't go inside for another thirty minutes," Emmett grumbled while pulling the sleeping bag off my legs. "Jasper and I decided to let you sleep."

I looked up at my brother, who was obviously tired, and couldn't help but smile. Deep down, he really wasn't as big of an asshole as he pretended to be.

"So get your scrawny ass up, go back to the hotel and take a piss or whatever and get back here," he told me while helping me up off the sidewalk.

I nodded and quickly started gathering my shit to take back to the room. I looked around, making sure I hadn't forgotten anything when I noticed the girls were missing.

"What happened to Becca and Chelsea?" I asked Emmett.

"We let them use our shower and stuff; their hotel is like four blocks away. Be sure to knock before you go in, although Becca might like it if you don't," he smiled and tossed me Zinger. "Breakfast of champions, yo."

After a quick freshing up at the hotel, the four of us were standing in line waiting to be let in. Jasper had already been let into the press section, lucky bastard.

"They said they will hand us tickets as we walk in the door, and that ticket determines where we sit," Chelsea said excitedly while bouncing on the balls of her feet. "So we should be able to get really good seats!"

"How the hell are you this peppy after two hours of sleep?" Emmett grumbled while watching her.

She ignored him and kept talking, "I'm really excited about the FanFic panel because they said AngelsHonor is going to be there."

"Oh, please don't tell me you read that trash," I sighed and shook my head. I really liked Chelsea, but if she was a Jacob fan, then there was no way I could associate with her.

"Oh God, no. I think her writing is absolute shit, but I can't wait to see what she says. I bet she's stuck up and talks about nothing but Jacob."

"Easy killer, mention Jacob Black around Edward and it will get your kneecaps whacked faster than Nancy Kerrigan," Emmett laughed, but I ignored him.

"What else did you find out, Chelsea?"

"That's about it actually, other than the fact that they are doing a trivia contest or something. The winner gets to meet the cast for like five minutes after the Q&A," she shrugged.

"What?" I asked loudly, my voice breaking and making me sound like I was eleven again. "They get to meet the cast?"

"Yeah, it's on the website," Becca said and handed me her phone.

I quickly read the information she had pulled up and couldn't help but feel a little hopeful. If we could win this, then I could get five minutes alone. Alone. With. Bella. Swan.

"So, it's a contest?" Emmett asked while reading over my shoulder. "Hmm."

I looked at my brother and smiled. For once his competitive nature was going to pay off. We would win this trivia contest if it killed me.

"Emmett?" I asked quietly while raising my eyebrows.

"Oh, I'm all in," he laughed and bumped his fist against mine.

_All in._ I smiled and finished my coffee. _All. Fucking. In._

******

[ Jasper ]

I fingered my press pass as I walked towards the front of the building. My gear was slung over my shoulder and I thought I might burn alive from all the piercing glares from the fangirls behind me. Outside I tried to appear calm and collected, but inside I felt like I was going to explode. I stepped up to the security guard at the door and smiled.

His face was blank. He pulled his sunglasses down off his nose and glared at me.

I coughed. "Um, I'm Jasper Whitlock—I'm interviewing the Angels?"

He whispered my name into his earpiece and waited for confirmation.

I stuffed my hands into my pockets and rocked on my heels. After a few moments, the security guard nodded at me and opened the door.

I thanked him as I walked through, jumping as the door clicked behind me. I looked down the hallway and the pattern of the carpet started making me dizzy. I felt like I was trapped in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. I took a tentative step forward and basked in the quietness—with all the fans outside, the convention center had become a safe haven.

I took a deep breath as I followed the paper signs towards the Press Room. I wondered if Alice would remember me from last night—did our meeting leave a profound memory for her, too? Did she feel the same excitement inside that I did?

I began to mentally coach myself like I did before I met any important celebrity at the radio station.

_Don't panic. Deep breaths. C'mon, Jasper, you can do this. Remember that they are just people, too. It doesn't matter that they are the three hottest women in the film industry right now—_

I sighed. This was not helping.

"Let's try this again," I muttered to myself.

_Jasper, be a man about this. You've met big celebrities before. These are just girls. Deep breaths. Calm and collected—confidant and charming. Yes, YOU can do this._

I walked up to the door where a woman was standing guard.

"Clearance?" she asked plainly.

I held up my badge and she waved me through. The room had some chairs set up with a water cooler in the corner. Other reporters were milling about and talking, probably trying to brag about their biggest interviews or whatnot. I hoped I wouldn't have to wait long and talk to a bunch of them. One thing I had learned in this business was that everyone always tried to one-up each other; it was dirty and I didn't feel comfortable stooping to their level.

"Excuse me, are you Jasper Whitlock?"

I turned around to see a woman about my age. I nodded. "Yes?"

She stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Michelle—I work at KRXY 94.5 in Seattle and I've heard some of your interviews. I'd recognize you anywhere—I saw your photos on your station's website and I follow you on Twitter."

Internally I cringed—is this what the girls went through on a daily basis?

"I'm not a huge fan of the _Carlisle's Angels_ series but my work sent me here on assignment—what about you? Have you seen the movies? What's your favorite movie?"

I smiled at her and pretended that my phone was ringing. "Excuse me," I said politely. I held the phone up to my ear and began babbling away.

Just as I was pretending to talk, it vibrated and I jumped slightly. It was a text from Edward.

_Are you in yet?_

I giggled as I wrote back: _that's what she said._

Another moment later it vibrated again.

_I already have one Emmett, I don't need another one._

I frowned as I replied: _Cold, Edward. Stone cold._

I walked over to the cooler and grabbed a cup of water, chugging it quickly. I pulled a stick of Juicy Fruit out of my pocket and shoved it in my mouth, trying to calm myself. I signed on to my Twitter account, looking for an update from Alice.

"Jasper Whitlock."

That was me. That was my name. _Oh, shit, it was my turn!_

I walked towards the thick curtain that was separating one room from another. I showed the woman my badge and she grabbed my arm lightly, thrusting a piece of paper in my face.

"By signing here, you agree that you will not ask any questions pertaining to the talents' personal lives. If you violate the terms of this waiver, you will be escorted off the property and contacted by Peak Productions' attorney. Do you have any questions?"

I shook my head. "I think that's pretty clear." I leaned over to the table next to me and dated, printed, and signed my name.

She pulled back the curtain. "Good luck, Mr. Whitlock."

I stepped into the room and saw the girls—they were seated in three director's chairs that were arranged in a semi-circle. Bella was on the left, Rosalie on the right, and Alice in the middle. Alice must have been telling a funny story because her hands were waving wildly in the air and her legs were dangling in front of her. Bella was making a funny face and Rosalie's head was thrown back in laughter.

I stepped towards the chair that was designated for me and I nodded my head. "Hello, ladies," I said in my Southern drawl.

They turned to look at me and my eyes caught Alice's. She smiled brightly and I swear her eyes twinkled.

"My, my—Jasper Whitlock!" she exclaimed.

_Be still my mother-fucking heart._

******

**JustForkIt:** Ok, sorry for the slow update but we have been plotting and scheming for upcoming chapters and let me tell you, this shit shall be epic. I want to thank each of you for your great reviews!! But please please… if you are recommending us to people, let us know so that we can thank you properly. This is for Amy down under… hope you feel better loser. Also, apparently some people on Twitter are talking about our story, but you guys aren't following us! Please follow us on Twitter, Justforkit and melsvfp

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**LMW:** Hey readers! I'm back from convention land with new stories and materials! Thanks for being patient while we update—I can't thank you all enough for the support we've gotten!

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	10. A Stalker's Guide: OUTTAKES

**Disclaimer: We don't own Mrs. Meyers Jasper, but we sure as hell own this one. And L-O-V-E him.**

** ** **

[ Alice ]

"We really could have stayed another hour and worked out," Rosalie said while shutting the door to Bella's room. "We only have another month before we start the next movie, and I don't think you guys realize how…"

"Rosalie," Bella interrupted her as she fell back against the bed. "You've got to shut up."

"Oh come on, Bella, it wasn't _that_ bad. Those treadmills can just reach out and get you, and it isn't like you _actually_ fell." I said encouragingly as she groaned.

"I am not made to work out. I just… I can't get my arms and legs to work together and I end up flailing around like a dying fish," she sighed, rolling over as Rosalie sat on the bed next to her. "You guys always look so coordinated and I just look absolutely mental."

Rosalie laughed. "Bella, we know how hard it is to put one foot in front of the other; but really, you are getting better."

The two of them started playfully arguing, but I decided to stay out of it. The truth was that Bella did in fact have a tendency to look a little off-balance; the good news was that they were able to make her look coordinated on screen. If she couldn't walk in a straight line in real life, it didn't matter much. I smiled to myself and pulled the heavy curtains away from the window and looked out at the city lights. I smiled as they flickered and couldn't help but feel so incredibly content and blessed.

How many people actually grew up and lived out their dreams? It came with sacrifices, no doubt, but all of it was worth it. My mom's always telling me that my lifestyle was made to fit my A.D.D personality, and I couldn't help but agree with her. My life was always moving and always changing. Without creation and invention we just existed, and I've always wanted more than to just exist.

My friends didn't understand how I could book movies back to back, or how the band would schedule shows on the only nights we weren't filming. They always told me I would eventually get burned out, but I knew they just didn't understand that I had to live my life this way.

I hated sitting still because it made me feel so unproductive. There are twenty-four hours in every day, and I really only needed four for sleep. The rest was filled with something productive and creative. It wasn't normal by anyone else's standard, but I hadn't ever really been the _normal_ type.

"Rosalie, you cannot sit there and complain about them taking pictures of you when you were the one working out in front of a wall of mirrors in a sports bra," Bella laughed while Rosalie did her best imitation of being offended. "This is why I only work out in a private environment. The last thing I need is someone taking a picture of me trying to run on a treadmill looking like some sort of dysfunctional bird."

"True, they would say you were just working out keep Jacob interested anyway…" Rosalie said as she moved out of the way before Bella could hit her.

There was a knock on the door that interrupted Bella's complaining.

"I'll get it," I said over both of their raised voices. I looked through the peep hole and shook my head. "Bella, your other half is here."

I unlocked the door and pulled it open, stepping aside for Jessica Stanley to come inside. Jessica was probably one of the funniest people I had ever met. She was obnoxiously sarcastic and brutally honest, but I had to say the fact that she genuinely cared about Bella only made me like her more.

Fame often came with a heavy price tag, and the three of us were so lucky to have made such great friends before we "made it big." The girls in the band were friends I had made in high school and I had known Rosalie before the _CA_ series even started. With Bella, and even Jacob, we had a really great group of friends we knew we could count on. Not to mention the fact that even our families were now intertwined. Rosalie's mom and mine were such good friends that they talked almost every day, even going to church together when they could.

"About bloody time you finished," Jessica said loudly with a cigarette hanging precariously from her lips. "I've been so fucking bored."

"Can I borrow one?" Bella held her hand out and Jessica tossed a pack of cigarettes at her. "Thanks, I smoked my last one before we left."

"Do you want me to send Steed to get more?" Jessica asked as she pulled open the door to the mini-bar. Oliver, or Steed, as they called him, was Jessica's little brother.

"Or, I can go get them; I would really love to get out of this hotel," I offered as I kicked the toe of my shoe against the floor. "I'm starting to go stir-crazy."

Rosalie and Bella both looked up at me, but it was Rosalie that asked. "You really want to go out?"

I shrugged my shoulders and sighed. "It's almost midnight; I mean, I don't think many people would be walking around inside of a convenience store. We could just run down there and come back."

"I'll go," Bella said and pushed herself off the bed. She grabbed her hoodie and pulled it on over her tattered t-shirt. "Ready?"

We were interrupted by another knock on the door, only this time Jessica answered it.

"Hi, girls!" A breathless Esme rushed into the room while texting nonstop on her phone. "Give me just a second."

Esme Platt-Evenson was our PR extraordinaire. After the first _CA_ series movie, we all learned very quickly that we would need to be better equipped to handle the amount of attention all of us were getting. Peak had hired Esme to act as a PR representative and work with each of our managers to help keep things running smoothly. If it wasn't for Esme, I'm not sure any of us would be alive.

Esme had sacrificed a lot for the three of us, including her marriage to a screen writer in LA. He had told her that working as a PR rep was humiliating and bad for his business. He really was an ass, and now that the _CA_ series had really taken off, his business had started hurting. I guess when you have a group of actors who just happen to be involved in one of the biggest franchises in ten years, basically refusing to work on the same project as you, people tend to stay away.

She finished whatever she was doing and dropped her phone into her purse before looking around at all of us. "Ok," she said with a smile and brushed her hair off of her face. "I just have a few things I wanted to go over with you."

"Oh good, this doesn't involve me," Jessica smiled and pulled a tiny bottle of whisky out of the miniature fridge and twisted it open before downing it. "I'll be down in the lobby when you tarts are ready."

Rosalie, Bella and I just laughed and told her goodbye before focusing back on Esme.

"I've talked to the event coordinators for tomorrow and I am positive we have everything set up. They have assured me that things will be much more organized this year," she said while flipping through a notebook. "The press interviews will begin at nine and shouldn't last more than an hour and a half. They have really limited the amount of time each reporter gets. Also, I told them no questions about your personal lives…"

"Yeah, because that stops them," Rosalie laughed while Bella sighed.

I gave Bella a sympathetic look. As difficult as things could be for Rosalie and me, it was nothing compared to the amount of attention she and Jacob got. It was literally a circus anytime they went anywhere. When they were seen together, it only made things worse--it had even ruined Jacob's last relationship with that Michelle girl he had been dating for almost four years.

"Bella, to handle _that_ situation we've made sure that you and Jacob won't be in any interviews alone together. We specifically set aside another room for him to field questions with the other guys." Esme scribbled quickly against her notebook. "Now Alice, you have two shows scheduled this weekend right?"

"Originally two, but we added a third one today," I answered, and couldn't help but get excited.

I loved acting; it had been my first love, but music just fit me. Making music made me feel like I was actually contributing something, something that was bigger than me, something that would last.

"Three shows in two days? Are you sure that isn't too much?" Esme looked at me with that fierce mama hen look she had. "I just don't want you wearing yourself too thin, Alice."

"No, really, it will be fine. Plus, I won't be able to make another show until I get back from Iceland," I told her and smiled.

"If you're sure," She shook her head but smiled. "Bella, Rosalie, are you guys going to want to go to the shows? It could mean some good PR, but if you do, I need to know now so I can arrange some security."

"I would really like to, but I don't want to take away from the band, Alice," Rosalie looked back at Bella and she nodded in agreement.

I laughed and shook my head, "You guys, it will be fine. You can sit backstage if you're that concerned."

We spent the next few minutes going over the last few details of what all would be happening this weekend. Esme was getting ready to leave when her phone started ringing.

"Hello?" She asked in an unusually girlish voice that made all three of us look at her. "Oh, no, I'm just finishing up with the girls."

She hit Rosalie's arm when she started laughing and imitating her voice. I zipped my jacket up and reached for my hat when Rosalie stopped me.

"What?"

"No, Alice," she said and shook her head. She had a serious look on her face that made me nervous. "Friends do not let friends wear fur fedoras--_ever_."

Bella laughed but I ignored her. "Rose my hair is disgusting; just give me the hat."

"Well, if you would wash it every now and then…" Bella smiled and pulled her hood up over her head.

"Yeah, because I am the one who has all the rumors about not bathing," I muttered sarcastically and pulled my hair up into a ponytail.

"Ok, Carlisle, I'll let her know." Esme laughed again before saying goodbye and hanging up her phone. She looked back at the three of us, giving us a look that basically said 'say anything and you die.'

Rosalie pressed her lips together while trying not to laugh, while Bella only smiled.

"How was Carlisle?" I asked, and the three of us lost it.

Esme ignored me and looked at Rosalie. "Carlisle said he is about to go do a yoga session and wanted to know if you wanted to join him."

"Oh yes! I had so much fun when we went together last time!" Rosalie told us goodbye before leaving to go meet Carlisle.

Esme picked her bag up off the floor and looked back at Bella and me. "You two please behave tonight. See you first thing in the morning."

We met Jessica downstairs and together the three of us made our way out into the Vancouver streets. Bella walked in the middle and kept her head down as the three of us carefully took in our surroundings.

Thankfully, most people were either lined up at the convention center or at the Erik Yorkie show, hoping Bella or other cast members would be there. I sighed with relief when we made it past the entrance of the hotel without anyone noticing us.

I leaned my head back with my hands shoved in my pockets, taking deep breaths of the crisp night air. I was glad we had decided to get out for a while; I needed to be out of that hotel and get some fresh air.

While Bella and Jessica were talking, I pulled my phone out and checked the Twitter account the studio had made for me. I normally wasn't a fan of social networking sites, and it annoyed me that there were hundreds, if not thousands, of people pretending to be us, but I had to admit that it was a fun way to communicate with the fans. I was scrolling through my replies when Bella nudged my arm.

"You are addicted to that thing," she laughed and pulled her own phone out of her pocket. She dumbly touched the screen, sighing when it didn't do what she wanted.

"I am not nearly as bad as Carlisle is. He posts on that thing constantly and about the stupidest shit," I laughed and watched her for a few more seconds. "Why the hell did you even get an iPhone if you have no idea how to use it?"

"It's what the studio gave me," she said and shoved the phone back in her pocket. We had tried to give her tutorials on how to use it but it always ended up doing more harm than good.

I pulled the door to the convenience store open and checked to make sure it wasn't cramped with people. The clerk's eyes widened in recognition, but it only lasted a fraction of a second before it changed to a kind smile. Other than some guy that had just deposited a large amount of snack foods on the counter, the store was empty.

"It seems chill--go ahead," I told Bella and Jessica, letting them go in front of me. The two of them headed for the cashier to buy their cigarettes. I smiled as Jessica threatened to push Bella into a candy display.

I roamed through the aisles, looking for anything that might be tempting. Did I want something sour and salty? Pizza with extra jalapeno peppers sounded perfect, but Rosalie would kill me if I ended up eating more than my allotted amount of calories set by our trainer.

With a sigh, I decided to skip any sort of snack and just pick up some gum. I was running low on Juicy Fruit anyway. I would have to ask Macy to go by Costco and get me a case of it to keep with me. I normally didn't ask our band manager to run errands for me, but if she was going to be going by there to get Runts for the show anyway, then maybe she wouldn't mind.

Since the _CA_ series had taken off, our band, the 100 Spider Monkeys, had sky rocketed. It was so inspiring to be able to connect with the fans outside of the movie series. Just the thought of the upcoming shows made me deliriously happy.

I nodded my head slightly with the music they had playing over head, and when I spotted the box of Juicy Fruit I made a grab for it. My hand collided with someone else's and I instinctively looked up.

My eyes connected with a pair of crystal blue eyes and I swear on everything Holy, my heart stopped. I blinked slowly as he looked at me, and nodded when he apologized. I tried to say something, anything… but I was so transfixed in his smile and stare that I couldn't even tell you what actually ended up coming out of my mouth. I hoped it was an apology for running into him.

His smile was addictive and slowly I felt my own spread across my face. I was used to be people looking at me--I mean, it was part of my job. But when this guy looked at me, it was different. It was like he was looking at _me; _looking at who I actually was and not some quasi-famous celebrity. I felt my face begin to burn from embarrassment and slowly looked down.

I saw him move slightly, catching sight of… _oh shit_. He had a press pass? Jasper Whitlock? He had a press pass for VanCon. My heart ached slightly. He was a member of the press, but yet he hadn't said or done anything?

"I'm Jasper," he said quietly while fidgeting.

In a rare moment of honesty, I decided to tell him who I really was. Maybe Jasper didn't know; maybe he didn't even know what the _CA_ series was. There were dozens of other movie series at the convention.

I looked up and at him and smiled. "I'm Alice, nice to meet you."

He smiled again, making my heart flutter as he said it was a pleasure.

"Can I buy you a pack?" He asked while holding up the bright yellow packages.

Jasper was a gentleman. There was no doubt about it. Taking another chance I nodded. "That would be nice of you."

I follow him up to the counter, trying to distinguish the pros and cons that my mind and heart were screaming at me. Yes, he was a member of the press, but there was _something_ there. Something I hadn't ever felt before. I watched him carefully as he paid for the gum. He took the time to put them in a bag, folding the top of it over carefully and handing it to me. If this guy was a sleazy member of the press then he certainly didn't act like one.

"So," I started hesitantly, "Jasper, do you live around here?"

He smiled and shook his head, "Nope, I'm just here on business."

So he was going to be coy? I had to admit it was a little adorable.

"Oh, that's nice; I am, too," I said slyly and couldn't help but revel in the excitement his smile gave me. _What the hell?_ I asked myself and decided to throw caution to the wind. I was going to ask him out.

"Maybe we-" I couldn't even finish my sentence before there was a loud crash, and I heard Jessica laughing hysterically while Bella pushed herself off the floor.

I bit my lip and looked at Bella for a second before looking back at Jasper. Was this fate? Was this Karma's way of telling me not to do this? I tried to make my brain work quickly to make a decision, but before I could do anything, Bella was telling me we had to leave. I looked back at Jasper, my heart pounding in disappointment.

"It was nice to meet you, Jasper," I said reluctantly and walked slowly towards the door.

"Definitely Alice. Most definitely."

Bella pulled on my arm and I slowly followed her. I knew I had left a part of myself back in that store with him. Before the door, shut I turned back to look him, letting his smile warm my heart.

"Why did you give him your real name?!" Jessica asked as the door closed.

I shook my head, holding on tightly to the little sack of gum that Jasper had given me. I ignored Jessica and Bella as they lectured me on how dangerous this could have been--that we didn't even know him.

But as we walked back to the hotel, I knew three things. One, as soon as we got back to the hotel, I would call Esme and ask her to find out anything she could on Jasper Whitlock. Two, the gum in this bag was never, ever, going to be eaten. And, three, I finally knew what feeling it was that I had felt with him. I sighed and followed Bella and Jessica into the elevator.

For the first time in a long while, I felt hope.

** ** **

**JustForkIt: Alice was just calling to me. I'm normally not an outtake kind of person, but Alice just wouldn't shut up… So I hope this gave you a little glimpse into what might or might not be happening. Maybe helped you figure out who the characters are based off of? I will help you out… Emmett is based off of me. If I was a dude I would be exactly like him. haha Enjoy and we are almost done with the next *REAL* chapter.**

**LMW: you all should be bowing down to JFI right now. She is so great, I just can't even tell you! She IS Emmett…and if any of you know me, you'll see a lot of myself-ish in Jasper's character. ******** Thanks for reading, seriously—your reviews are fantastic and I love hanging with you all on Twitter!! Keep recommending us, please!**


	11. Team F Awesome

**Disclaimer:**** We don't own Twilight, but we do own all of the WWEmD (What Would Emmett Do?) jokes that we come up with. What would Emmett do? He would slap each of y'all on the ass for a good game, and tell you to recommend this story to five of your friends!**

***Some quotes and play on characters were used in this chapter—it is not our intent to steal or plagiarize these either. And as always, this is not meant to make fun of anyone particular—other than ourselves. Thanks!**

**** ****

**[ Jasper ]**

I don't know how long I stood there, jaw dropped, looking like a complete idiot, when I snapped out of my _Alice Brandon-remembered-me-coma_. She remembered me! She knew who I was!

But how did she know my full name? Last night I only told her my first name.

I froze. _Was Alice Brandon a stalker?_

I tried to give them a calm smile, although inside I was break dancing and shit, screaming like Edward did when he found out Bella Swan was coming to this convention.

Rosalie Hale looked at Alice and then back at me, her eyebrow raised. "You two know each other?"

My fingers were picking at the small hole near my jeans pocket as I stood there trying not to pass out. "Um," I began fumbling, unsure of how to approach the story without looking like an absolute tool.

"Well, yes—last night Bella, Jessica and I ran into Jasper at the store, and he bought me some gum," she explained.

Rosalie leaned forward, looking over at Bella. "Is that true?"

She shrugged. "Pretty much—I don't know what was going on because Jess was being a complete cow."

They all looked over at me and I felt like I was facing a firing squad—well, except for Alice Brandon who was smiling at me. My heart was beating frantically until I saw her wink at me. Either that or I was hallucinating, and at this point, it didn't seem like such a far-fetched idea.

"Well, now that we've gotten that settled; Jasper, this is Bella Swan and Rosalie Hale. Girls, this is Jasper Whitlock."

I nodded again and made my way towards the chair they had ready for me. I slid into it and pulled a sheet of paper out of my pocket that I had scribbled a few questions on. My recorder had already been set up on a table near the girls and I was ready to start the interview.

_Why the fuck wouldn't my hands stop shaking?_ I felt like I needed to get up and run laps or something—it took all my power to keep my leg from shaking against the foot of the chair.

Rosalie kept eyeing me suspiciously and I wondered if she was trying to figure out what my motives were. I knew out of all of them, she would be the toughest to crack. She picked up her water bottle and took a slow and deliberate sip. I laughed silently, knowing that Emmett would have his hands full if he ever got close enough to this woman.

"Go ahead, ask us whatever you want," Alice drawled out. My heart skipped a tiny beat. This Southern accent she had was going to turn me inside out.

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and reminded myself to be cool. The pep talk I gave myself in the hallway came back to mind and I mentally put on my big boy underwear.

"Whatever I want?" I asked suggestively.

I saw Bella grip the arm of her chair. I felt bad—I hadn't meant to scare her.

Alice giggled some and Rosalie smiled, nodding her head. "Jasper Whitlock, please hit me with your best shot."

I laughed and peeked down at my wrinkled paper. "Okay, why don't you gals tell me something funny that has happened to you while on the set?"

They all looked at each other and giggled. Rosalie's eyes sparkled as she sat forward.

"Well, this one time, I really wanted to get Alice back for some prank she pulled..."

Alice clapped. "Oh, you mean the time I put a chicken in your trailer?! And you FREAKED out because you thought you were gonna get the Bird Flu?!" she laughed at her own prank, her hand across her stomach.

"Feathers everywhere!" Bella choked out, wiping a tear from her eye.

Rosalie rolled her eyes and laughed a little. "Ok, it was funny after the fact. But remember what I did to get back at you?"

Bella started snickering and Alice shot her a glare. Rosalie turned back to me with a wide grin, leaning towards me in her chair.

"Ok, so here's what happened. After the chicken incident, which I still believe Bella was involved in--but I have no proof--I waited up real late one night when I _knew_ Alice would finally be asleep…and I called her phone."

I nodded. _Where was she going with this?_

"I mean it was late—you know that girl only sleeps like 2 hours a night, right?"

"Four," she argued.

Rosalie put her hand to Alice's face. "Shush—anyway, Jasper, I waited until she was asleep and I called her, right? Only I'm pretending to be Esme, our Momager—"

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Mom slash manager," she explained and kept going. "Well, I was pretending to be her, and when Alice picked up the phone all groggy and stuff, I told her that the movie people wanted her to dye her hair red, and she'd need to be at the studio in an hour because it was going to take a while."

Alice shook her head. "And I was stupid enough to fall for it!"

"Until I eventually called her back and told her it was me, not Esme. Served you right, Alice--a chicken in my trailer?"

She shrugged. "I thought it was funny. Most people don't think they are cute—but they are pretty harmless…"

I laughed, putting my hand in my pocket and thumbing out a piece of gum. I slipped it from the paper and tried to discreetly sneak it in my mouth. I looked over at the girls and they were watching me. I smiled innocently.

Rosalie licked her lips. "Is that gum?"

I nodded. "Would you like a piece?"

She looked at me pointedly. "You didn't lace it with anything, did you?"

I shook my head. "No, it's just Juicy Fruit."

Alice held out her hand. "I want some!"

I stood up and walked closer to them, feeling my palms begin to sweat. I held the pack out and Bella shook her head with a quiet, "no, thank you."

Alice all but jumped up, brushing her pinky against my hand as she grabbed for the gum. She smiled at me and I returned it.

Rosalie rolled her eyes and took a piece. "Thanks pal."

I sat back down. "I have only a few more questions, one for each of you, if you don't mind."

They nodded and I looked back at my paper.

"Bella, what do think about all the fame this series has brought you?"

She stirred, pushing her eyebrow up with her finger. "Well…" she said, pausing to think. Her hand went into her hair and mussed it around. "I think it's overwhelming. I mean, I'm just me—and I'm pretty boring; what could anyone want to know? I don't find myself that interesting…" Her fingers danced against her clothes like they were playing some sort of musical instrument.

"It's because you're hot," Rosalie teased.

Bella looked down at her lap and smiled some. "I don't get it—a few years ago, if you saw me walking down the street, no one would think anything of me. Now I can't even go get a cup of coffee without having to hide behind bushes. I just want something to drink—how exciting is that?"

Alice sighed. "I understand that when we became actors, this was always a possibility. We're not ungrateful—hardly. In fact, we feel incredibly blessed that people even care about us!"

I nodded—countless times, Edward, Emmett and I had talked about what it must be like to live as a celebrity like these girls did—the paparazzi could be treacherous, but sometimes the fans were even worse. The three of us had sworn to each other that we would not be _those_ guys.

"Rosalie, I've read some speculation that you're going to be playing in a horror movie as one of your next projects?"

She looked over at me with a smile, excitement sparkling in her eyes. "You sure did your homework, Jasper!"

I laughed some and nodded.

"Well, first I have to tell you—when I was a little kid, I used to get so freaked when we watched scary movies. We'd sit around the living room, huddled together with blankets with the lights off. I'd always poke my head out from under the blanket, jumping back under when the scary guys came out! I wouldn't sleep for days afterward, but I always loved it."

Bella laughed and Rosalie shot her a look. "Do I need to tell the story of the night we watched _Poltergeist_ in your room?"

Bella shook her head and looked down at her hands, fidgeting again. "No, that's alright."

Alice giggled and Rosalie turned back to me. "So, yes, I'll be in _Night Terror on Oak Street_. It's a remake of the old classic, and I'm just really excited. Scary movies still freak me out, so it should be interesting to be on the other side of the screen."

"I'm sure a lot of the _Carlisle's Angels_ fans will go check it out," I fumbled out, immediately feeling stupid.

She looked over at me and smiled mischievously. "Well, I sure hope so."

I coughed, looking down at my paper. I only had one question left, but I was nervous as shit. I looked up and they were all staring at me. Well, except Bella. She had her fingers on her face, pushing her forehead up in some signature move which I think Edward had trained himself in; now that I saw her doing it, it all made sense.

I inhaled slowly and let a posed/relaxed smile come across my face. "Alice, I know you're into music and you have a band. Can you tell me about them?"

She clapped her hands excitedly and her small feet kicked out in front of her. Her eyes lit up like I'd just told her she'd won an Oscar. "Oh, yes!"

I let out a small, silent laugh and Rosalie looked over, studying me. I stopped laughing and looked at Alice, avoiding Rosalie's gaze.

"Well, we're called 100 Spider Monkeys, and the band is made up of me, Jena, Betty G., and Betty J.—we travel together and make music. We like to have a fun show—one that people can dance to. Our sound is like old-school rock and roll mixed with some blues and funk. We aren't a band that makes whiney music—we just like to have fun!"

My heart kept fluttering while she talked—she was so passionate about her music. You could tell she wasn't one of those actors who made it big so she could have a music career—no, not Alice. She was the kind of girl who was just filled to the top with talent and creativity and it was busting out in every outlet that she could use.

"And the fans love you guys," I commented.

She nodded. "They've been really great. We're just happy to have fans at all! The 100 Spider Monkey fans are wild—one of my band mates was attacked in a bathroom after one of our shows. A lot of the Angels fans come out, and they are always so amazing—they ask me to sign stuff, like their clothing, their phones, their kids, or their face! I mean, I don't want to deface their face, you know?"

The other girls giggled and I smiled along.

"So you're excited about your show this weekend?" I prodded, knowing I was going over my question limit.

Alice grinned. "Yes! We just added another because we wanted to make sure the fans had a great time and a chance to hang out and play some music. You should come!"

Bella lifted her head and looked over at Alice questioningly.

Alice smiled. "Yes definitely. You're coming."

Their PR rep, Esme, poked her head in. "Time's up, sorry," she said apologetically.

I stood up and stretched some, while Alice called Esme over to her. They were whispering together, so I walked over to Bella.

"Thanks for your time—I hope the rest of your trip here is a great one."

She looked up at me and smiled. "Thanks—this was a good interview."

Rosalie tapped my shoulder. I turned to see her with a huge smile on her face. "Not bad, Jasper. I'd say you passed this interview with flying colors!"

I laughed, feeling very at ease with her now that she wasn't giving me the stare-down. "Thanks, Rosalie."

She turned to Bella. "You guys didn't tell me you ran into him last night—I feel like I'm the one who missed out on the big secret!"

Bella started mumbling. "Well, it wasn't a big deal—" she started as she looked over at me. "No, that's not what I meant. What I meant was, well, that we just sort of ran into—well, Jessica and I were--"

Rosalie threw her head back and laughed. "Bella, Bella. You crack me up. Don't worry about it; I was just giving you a hard time!"

Bella scowled and I looked over apologetically. "Well, it was nice to meet you gals," I said, pulling out my Southern drawl.

They smiled and Alice walked over, staring up at me. "Thanks again, Jasper! Do you think you'll be able to make it to our show?"

I shrugged. "Well, I'm here with two of my friends, so it depends on if they want to go or not…"

She slapped my arm playfully. "Nonsense—you'll all come and I'll get your names on the VIP list. You can hang in the back with Bella and Rosalie. Right girls?"

They shrugged and nodded.

"Perfect!" Alice cried excitedly.

"Thank you for your time," I said to her.

She smiled. "Oh, it was my pleasure."

I shook each of their hands, relishing in the fact that I had been lucky enough to land this interview. I nodded my head and walked toward the exit. Before I could get there, Esme pulled me aside.

"The girls were really impressed with your interview and felt very comfortable."

I smiled. "Thank you, that's quite a compliment."

"Because they felt so comfortable, I wanted to extend an invitation to you—right now there's a Trivia Contest going on, and the winners get to meet the girls. I was wondering if you'd be interested in interviewing the winners?"

I was floored. _Floored._ Me, Jasper Whitlock, being invited to go with the girls to their Meet and Greet? I silently thanked the Lord.

"That…that sounds nice," I said, trying to reign in my inner fanboy.

She smiled. "Wonderful! If you'll just wait outside while we finish the interviews, you can walk with them."

My eyes almost bugged out of my face. "With them?"

She nodded. "Of course, Jasper, unless you don't want to."

"No! I'd love to—I mean, thank you."

Esme smiled at me with a knowing look. "Alright, well, we'll see you in a bit then."

I walked back out into the waiting area and sat in a chair. My leg was shaking a thousand miles a minute in anticipation. I popped a new piece of gum in my mouth and pulled out my phone.

10 text messages.

I flipped my phone open, not surprised to find they were all from Edward. I shook my head to myself as I scrolled through them, questions ranging from '_Have you talked to them yet?'_ to _'Is Bella wearing her signature Smirnoff shirt?'_

I played a game of Tetris while I waited and drank a bottle of water they were passing out with the convention's label on it. I laughed at that—like they bottled their own water or something.

One by one, the room began to clear and reporters and press walked away with smiles on their faces, pretending like they'd gotten the best gossip. It was all a façade to make everyone else nervous, but I saw right through it. If you wanted to get anywhere in this business, it was almost always about faking it. And I was good at that.

Someone coughed softly and I looked up to see Bella smiling at me.

I stood up and returned her smile. "All done?"

"Yeah—lots of questions," she joked lamely, smiling.

I pretended to zip my lips. "I promise I won't ask anymore."

She chuckled and gestured her head towards the door. "Ready to go?"

Esme came around the corner grinning. "Oh, Jasper, you stayed! Wonderful! Let me grab Alice and we'll be on our way!"

Alice popped around the corner with a huge smile on her face. I couldn't help but return it. "I'm ready! Let's go!" She skipped over to where Bella and I were standing.

I looked around as we began walking. "Where's Rosalie at?"

"Oh, she's doing a special Meet and Greet for a child with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She loves giving back to the kids—it's one of her hidden passions," Esme explained.

"Well, she's just a big kid, anyway," Alice teased.

Esme opened the door and we started walking through a hallway that was hidden from the rest of the convention—in fact, if you weren't in it, you would never know that it's there.

"We gotta sneak around because of _her_," Alice said, pointing at Bella.

Bella sighed, shoving her hands in her pockets and shuffling her feet. Alice lightly bumped her shoulder against hers.

"I don't mean it to be mean; you can't help it you're every man's wet dream these days."

I laughed out loud and then apologized.

"I don't know what they see in me. I'm not joking—I'm boring and I dress like a bum."

"Well, hopefully we won't have an incident like we did in New York," Esme said as she shushed us.

I grabbed the door handle to open the door for the girls and prayed that whoever was on the other side wasn't a complete douchebag.

I'd be willing to throw down if I had to.

** ** **

**[ Emmett ]**

I swear to God I was about to beat the shit out of my brother. I kept reminding myself that he was a blood relative, one of the few I had left, and that killing him wouldn't do me any good.

"Emmett, here, take these and read over them," he told me while shoving the movie companions to the last three _CA_ movies at me. "We need to get you brushed up on Angel's trivia."

Chelsea, Becca, and Edward all started talking at once, trying to give me as much useless information as they could. I eventually had to cover Edward and Chelsea's mouths with my hands and glare at Becca.

"The three of you need to shut-the-fuck-up."

Edward glared at me and I glared back until Chelsea licked my hand. That was both disgusting and kind of hot at the same time. I pulled my hands away and wiped them forcefully on my jeans.

"Edward, I have lived with you for the past three years; you eat, breathe, and sleep _Carlisle's Angels_. If anyone was going to know more about this shit than you, it would be me or Jasper. Now calm the hell down," I said angrily.

He looked at me briefly, then back at the girls. They all three looked back at me and less than a second later, the constant ramblings started again.

"The first movie was going to originally be titled _Charlie's Angels_, but when Carlisle Facchini was cast as 'Charlie,' they changed it to _Carlisle's Angels_," Chelsea said hurriedly.

"Seriously…" I hedged.

"Alice has a cat named Dino, Rosalie has a dog named Koala, and Bella has a dog named Penny," Becca started as soon as Chelsea had finished, completely ignoring me.

"Ok, really I…" I started but Edward interrupted me.

"Bella's dad is the one that got her into acting, only to get her out of the house and interacting with people her own age."

I listened to them for another ten minutes and was about to snap until they were interrupted.

"Hey, Emmett."

The three of them turned around to find Paige standing there smiling. Chelsea glared at her for a second before turning around and talking quietly to Becca.

"Sup?" I smiled back at her and nodded.

Ignoring Becca and Chelsea, she slid between them and gave Edward a brief smile. Her arms wrapped around one of mine and she pulled me closer to her.

_Oh fucking hell, please do not get clingy. For the love of God, do not get clingy._

"Can I talk to you for a second?" she asked coyly while leaning her head to one side. "Alone?"

I looked at Edward, hoping he would do something to help me out, but he turned his back to us and joined the girls' conversation. _That fucker!_

I would remember this shit.

"Um, sure." I reluctantly followed her as she tugged on my arm. She turned around and I decided to just nip this shit in the bud. "Listen Paige, last night was fun and all but…"

"Oh please," she laughed and it took me off-guard. "Do you honestly think I came over here to try and hook up with you again?"

I blinked and stared at her. "Well, if not then…"

"Listen Emmett, you're a great guy and all, but that was definitely a one-time thing. I actually just have a favor to ask." She shrugged her shoulders.

I couldn't help but smile. I had never had a chick be totally fine with a one night stand before. "Ask away."

"Well, see, here's the thing. I think that since I let you put it in me, then I should be able to at least sit with you during the convention."

My mind went blank.

"You… What?" I stuttered and she laughed. She had used me. She used… Me? "You had sex with me to get better seats?"

"Oh, Emmett, don't be such a baby. You know you would have done the same thing if you had to. And besides, last night was fun," she smiled and pulled on one of the drawstrings hanging from my hoodie. "I just think this would be a really nice way to repay me."

I had been hustled by a girl. That shit never happened, and although I felt slightly used, I had to give her credit for being able to pull this off. No one ever hustled me, you just couldn't hustle a hustler.

"We don't even have to actually sit by each other; I just want a good ticket. I could stand behind you guys if you like."

I agreed to let her stand in line behind us, and told her to give me a second to tell Edward and the other girls. She agreed and waited patiently. They didn't take the news well at all. Besides the fact that a large majority of the people standing closely behind us were pissed, I had also ended up making all of my friends mad; but at least I was no longer being bombarded with random _Carlisle's Angels_ trivia. They might all hate me, but at least that meant I didn't have to listen to their constant nagging.

By the time we got herded into the convention center, things had calmed down between everyone. Mostly. Chelsea was point blank refusing to acknowledge or even look at Paige. So I stood between the two of them and it was awkward as fuck.

We were given tickets, obviously front and center, and when Paige was given a seat on the second row she waved goodbye before heading off to find her friends again. I felt used… but quickly got over it.

Everything seemed to be fine--well as fine as you can be with thousands of screaming people--as we stood in line waiting to sign up for the trivia contest. Becca had just finished signing up "Team Awesome" and I was complaining about the fact that they wouldn't accept the name "Team Fuckawesome" when Edward accidentally ran into someone.

It seemed to be fine until she mentioned that she was also from Washington. Edward and this Danielle girl got to talking, and it wasn't until I heard Edward scream and call her a liar that I realized something was going on.

"Excuse me?" she asked in an offended voice.

"Edward, what…" I asked, but he took a step towards her and I had to put my arm up to stop him. This was seriously not like him; she must have said something about Jacob Black. "What the hell is going on?"

"This… this person says she's here representing FallenAngels!" he yelled angrily. "So you're the reason why they didn't have any extra media passes? You… you… hussy!"

Danielle looked at me before looking back at Edward. "And how the hell do you know I don't work for them?"

She should have just kept her mouth shut.

"Because FallenAngels is mine! I fucking own it!" he yelled again and I had to use my other arm to restrain him.

Danielle's mouth snapped shut, and without another word she quickly turned and left. Edward ran after her, leaving us standing in his wake.

"Oh fuck," I sighed. With all of these people here, there was no way I would be able to find him by myself. I turned around to Chelsea and Becca. "We've got to split up…"

"He's right there." Chelsea pointed behind me and I turned to find Edward stalking towards us. His face was bright red, and I swear if this was some sort of cartoon, there would have been smoke coming from his ears and nostrils.

"I am just… I am beyond furious!" he growled and walked past the three of us, headed back to where our seats were.

"Did you find her?" we all asked in unison and followed behind him.

"No, but you can be damn sure I will get to the bottom of this," he huffed and pulled his cell phone out and began texting furiously. "I'm having Angela remove all members named Danielle or anything similar to it and making the forums password protected. She had better hope I don't run into her again--I will go to the authorities!"

Chelsea asked me if he was joking; I only shook my head and kept my mouth shut. When Edward was this angry, it was better to just leave him be.

So we sat in relative silence, letting Edward calm down, and waiting for the FanFiction panel to start. What was twenty minutes quickly turned into thirty and even an hour later, we were still waiting.

I was bored and not really participating in any of the conversations around me; instead, I was picturing Rosalie Hale's ass in my face. I was relatively new to the FanFiction world, but it became quite apparent that it was almost like the mafia or something. I knew chicks could be catty, but the way some of these girls were talking made me look tame.

I didn't realize that there were certain cliques in the FanFic world, but as I listened to Chelsea and Becca talking to some other people about an uprising against some of the lesser known authors, I became intrigued.

"So you aren't in with the big writers?" Edward asked Chelsea and she laughed.

"Why is that so funny?" I interrupted her laughter and asked.

"I am way too opinionated for those girls. I've read most of their stories and they are good, but I won't bow down and let them play God. And for that, I will never be accepted." She shrugged. "But, I am happy with my small group of readers. They are the best."

They continued talking and I was just blown the fuck away. These were grown ass women acting this way. They all obsessed over the fucking shirtless pictures of Jacob Black and prospects of Bella Swan writing a personal journal and publishing it. Those bitches were a bunch of hypocrites and it pissed me off. I decided that as soon as we got back home, I was going to start writing. I would pretend to be some fangirl and those bitches would end up accepting me one way or another. They would let me in, and as soon as I infiltrated their circle, I would bust that shit wide open.

When the panel finally started, I have to say it only made me angrier. I sat there and listened to this chick talk like her story was the second coming of Christ. Hers was actually one I had read, and I have to say it was hot for a while, but eventually all of her sex scenes just sounded the same. I rolled my eyes when they started talking about all of the awards she had gotten and when I accidentally said, "They should just give you a 'shut the fuck up award' instead" I got a lot of rather rude looks from the moderator. But Chelsea and Becca laughed--those girls loved me.

I had raised my hand to ask a question, making Becca, Chelsea and Edward look at me suspiciously. I held my fucking arm up for an entire hour and never got called on. I guess it's a good thing, because if I had asked this Angel'sHonor chick where she got the golden stick that was shoved up her ass; I probably would have gotten kicked out.

** ** **

**[ Edward ]**

"Emmett, please, just look through these books!" I begged after the announcer said the trivia contest would start in fifteen minutes. I wasn't worried about Becca and Chelsea; I knew both of them could handle anything thrown at them, but Emmett was a wild card.

I thought that with his competitive nature he would have been more willing to at least brush up on his trivia facts, but he was point blank refusing and that annoyed me.

"Edward I've got this. I just need some time to get pumped up," he reassured me. "Give me your iPod."

With a loud sigh, I pulled it out of my bag and handed it to him.

"Ok, no one bother me for the next fifteen minutes, I need to prepare," he told all of us as he put the ear buds on.

We watched as he flipped through my song list; his eyes narrowed in frustration before he pulled the ear buds out and handed the iPod back to me.

"Do you not have anything that isn't sad ass and depressing? I mean, even the _Journey_ songs you have on there are slow," he complained. "You don't have anything that just gets you pumped up? How can you get in an ass kicking mood with Van Morrison?"

"Well, if you don't like my musical selections, you should have brought your own," I grumbled as Chelsea gave Emmett her iPod and he started scrolling through her songs.

"Ah yes! The Beastie Boys! Now this I can handle." He grinned and started bobbing his head along with the music. "Let me be, I am in the zone."

We left him alone for fifteen minutes, but when the announcer requested all of the trivia teams to move together, I hit his shoulder. We got our group together and none of us argued when Emmett took control.

He was standing next to Chelsea with his arms across his chest. His jaw was set and he had this sort of scowling glare going on. Having known Emmett my whole life, I knew he wasn't really mad. He was trying to intimidate the other teams. I wasn't sure that his tactics would work in a _CA _Trivia Contest, but when Chelsea and Becca joined him, I decided just to go with it. His plan for domination had worked last night; maybe we would get lucky twice.

We listened as they explained the rules, which were pretty standard. The panel would ask a question, each team had forty-five seconds to come up with an answer and get it written onto the note cards they had given us. The judges would check our cards, and the top two teams would move onto the next round.

We designated Emmett to be our team captain; Becca was in charge of getting the answers on the note cards, and Chelsea and I were the thinkers. I was sure that between the two of us, we had more combined _CA_ knowledge than half of the room. We could do this.

The moderator called all of the team captains up to the front, and the three of us clapped loudly as Emmett made his way there.

"Emmett, I want your baby!" Chelsea yelled loudly. I laughed and could have sworn when Emmett looked back at her, he was blushing. She just laughed and continued cheering.

"Ok, these are our team captains; let's get the names before we all start!" she said excitedly and held the microphone, walking down the line of people standing there.

When she reached Emmett, he smiled for a second before pulling the microphone out of her hand and giving a loud whoop to the audience. The auditorium erupted in a loud applause, only fueling his ego. I shook my head.

"Sup guys!! I'm Emmett and we are team Fuckawesome! WOO!" he yelled, and again the entire place erupted in applause and Emmett only smiled as she ripped the microphone out of his hand.

I glared at him as he made his way back to our group. He had better keep his ass in line; if we got disqualified because of his antics, I would not be happy.

As soon as they announced that we would be starting, everyone became serious. Emmett cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck--I could practically feel the energy radiating off of him. I moved to stand beside Becca, and I could have sworn I heard him saying "in it to win it" under his breath.

The first few questions were easy, basic trivia that any fan would know. What state the first book took place in, who Bella and Alice saved in the second movie; even Emmett got a few of them right. As we got closer to the second round and the questions started getting harder.

"What color were Bella's pants in the first fighting montage of the second movie?" the moderator asked and room broke out into hushed whispers.

"They were black," Chelsea said immediately and I shook my head.

"No, they were grey, and they had the green stripe down the leg," I argued.

Chelsea and I were discussing it when Emmett interrupted us. "No, they were jeans. The first fighting montage was at the beginning of the movie. You guys are thinking of the one in the middle. The first was in the opening sequence."

"No, Emmett, they didn't say the opening credits, they said the first of the movie," Chelsea said and I nodded. No one counted the credits as part of the actual movie.

"I am telling you the answer is jeans!" he whispered harshly.

We kept arguing, and when the moderator said we had fifteen seconds left, Emmett grabbed the pen out of Becca's hand and scribbled his answer on the card, holding it up for the judges.

"Emmett, what the fuck are you doing?" I asked loudly, ignoring shushes from the people around us. "You just blew our chance!"

"You need to fucking trust me! Bella's ass looked fucking hot in those jeans and I know that's the answer!" he whispered loudly, looking up when they called time.

The rest of us glared at him, and I was counting down the seconds until I could fucking beat the shit out of him. He had just lost me my chance to meet Bella Swan without a million people around us. He was a dead man! It was just a matter of moments.

"Oh man!" the moderator flipped through the cards and shook her head. "Only two teams got the answer right. She was wearing blue jeans!"

Emmett whooped and gave Chelsea a hard high five, sending her backwards into me. Luckily, I caught her before we both fell to the floor.

"I fucking knew it! I KNEW IT!" he jumped around, pumping his fists and yelling excitedly. People laughed and all I could do was sit there in shock. Emmett knew something about _CA_ that I didn't. We had made it into the second round!

We all watched as Emmett continued to dominate the trivia contest. He answered questions that even I had a hard time remembering, and I had to admit that I wouldn't ever doubt my brother again. At least until he came up with another stupid idea.

The contest eventually got heated and I had to admit that my temper was getting the best of me. Emmett and I were both sweating and the girls were gnawing on the fingers. We were down by one point, but thankfully Becca knew the correct answer, sending us into a tie breaker.

"For the tie breaker, we need the team captains to come up to the front, please," they announced and we all wished Emmett luck as he walked to the front of the auditorium. The moderator gave him a skeptical look and held the microphone away from him as he walked by.

"Come on, Em, you can do this!" I yelled anxiously and he nodded. Chelsea and Becca grabbed my hands, and together we all stood there and watched as Emmett stared down a small teenage girl.

"Ok guys, for the win. In the action-packed scene where Rosalie's character Victoria says the now famous line, 'That's why they pay me the big bucks,' how many times does she blink while looking at the camera?"

_What the fuck kind of question is that?_ If anyone was going to know the answer, it would be Emmett Cullen. I watched his face, hoping he might give me some sort of clue that he knew the answer. Instead, after he wrote his answer on the card and handed it to the judge, he just stood there glaring at the girl in front of him who was squirming.

I held my breath as the judges looked at their answers, ignoring the pain that Becca and Chelsea were causing as they squeezed my hands. I closed my eyes and prayed.

_Dear Lord… please let him get this right. Please. Please. Please. _

"Team Awesome wins! She blinked twelve times!" she said and the three of us screamed as Emmett just stood there and smiled.

Becca and Chelsea hugged each other before Becca turned and threw her arms around me. I laughed and hugged her back, oblivious to the fact that Chelsea had taken off at a full run towards Emmett.

We turned to watch as she rushed the stage, tackling Emmett and knocking him to the ground with a loud bang. I couldn't help but laugh as she ignored his surprised muttering and full-on kissed him on the mouth.

There were several loud whistles and applauses as Becca and I made our way up front. Emmett looked stunned as Chelsea pushed herself off of him. He sat there staring at her until I helped pull him up off the floor.

"So, Emmett, tell me, how did you know the answer?" the moderator asked once the room had calmed slightly.

"Well, let's just say that I've watched that scene a million times for um… recreational purposes," he laughed and everyone old enough to know that he was talking about jacking off laughed and clapped. I pushed his shoulder, completely embarrassed by him.

They quickly shuffled us off of the stage and my heart started pounding. This was it. I was going to meet Bella Swan. I was going to actually see her face to face, breath the same air she was, maybe… just maybe even hug her.

The door shut behind us and I jumped when I heard it click. I tried to take calming deep breaths--if I threw up on her that would definitely be a bad first impression. I sighed and told myself to calm down.

I tried to focus on Becca and Chelsea giggling excitedly and Emmett complaining that his leg really hurt, but the only thing I could hear was the beating of my own heart.

I heard the door behind us opening and I swear it was like a movie. Everything stopped. I turned slowly, expecting to see Bella or maybe even Alice. But when Jasper Whitlock walked through the door, I froze.

_That mother fucker._

** ** **

**JustForkIt:** Oh my. So I am totally being an Edward right now and FREAKING out about New Moon being less than a month away! LMW and I are abstaining from seeing any of the clips Summit has released and even though half of my friends are making fun of me for it, I'm refusing to give in. Exciting news though, Mel is coming all the way to Texas to see me and Hammondgirl!! We are all going to see New Moon together, so be sure to check out our Twitters for the hilariousness that will ensue. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. The next one will be fuckawesome! We love you guys so much and if you have reviewed on my end, and have not heard back from me… it's because FFn HATES ME. I can't get in and reply, so I am sorry. I have read them, and I love them, if you have a specific question please DM them to me.

I have to admit, the whole thing with the trivia contest is a true story. If you were at the Borders DVD midnight release party in Dallas and gotten beaten out by someone-- that was me. I dominated that shit and totally embarrassed my husband when I admitted to having an illegal copy of the movie that I downloaded. I didn't get to meet the cast, but I did get to meet Catherine Hardwick and she was drunk and hilarious. You people think we are joking when we say Emmett and I are the same. It's legit, I am that obnoxious. And here is Mel…

**LMW:** Howdy! What'd you think of this extra special long chapter? Lots happened! But you all deserved it as a treat for being so awesome! I'm having so much fun with some of you on Twitter! Come over and play with me, JustForkIt, and the fanboys!

A special thanks to kuntrygal for recommending us on her Fic site, The Backporch! It's a first for 'Stalking' and we couldn't be happier!

***

We are participating in fandom gives back. If you are interested, check out our profiles where we will have links to the blog. We are auctioning off the following: Highest bidder gets an 'It Isn't Stalking if You Don't Get Caught' outtake of their choice with any character dealing with chapters already posted and with a minimum of 5k words. They will also get a one shot of an Edward/Bella wet dream from EPOV. And their name will be used as a character in the story. Second highest bidder gets an 'It Isn't Stalking if You Don't Get Caught' outtake of their choice with any character dealing with chapters already posted and with a minimum of 3k words. Conditions: Outtakes can not involve butt sex.

It's for a good cause so check it out!! And remember… **WWEmD?**


	12. Accidentally Touched Your Tit, Sorry

**Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight, but we dominate this story like Emmett does trivia contests! HEY-OH!**

[ Edward ]

After I spotted Jasper, my eyes immediately fell on the two people behind him. Alice was easily recognizable, but the only thing I could focus on was the person standing behind Jasper, next to Alice.

They were all laughing and my immediate reaction was to be jealous and angry at Jasper. Why did he get all of the luck? Wasn't it enough that he got to meet them both last night and that he got to interview them today? Now he was making them laugh--both of them--even Bella. I felt my eyes widen as he muttered something and all of them laughed loudly. Bella held onto Jasper's shoulder for support.

_That's it, Jasper is dead to me._

I was so furious, so enraged that everything around me became tinted in red. For a fraction of a second, I thought about punching Jasper square in the jaw, but Emmett grabbed my arm and I took a deep breath to calm myself down.

"Hey guys," Jasper said calmly while giving me a knowing look. I glared back at him, hoping that he saw how angry I was. I mean, he couldn't even fucking text message me back? There was no excuse.

I closed my eyes for a second and settled down. I needed to be calm. Bella was here and she was standing less than two feet away from me. This was it. My heart started beating erratically, my arms and fingers went numb, and I tried to remember to breathe. She was beyond anything I could ever expect. She was beautiful, heartbreakingly adorable, and utterly Bella.

My throat went numb and I swallowed quickly. I was going to be sick, I knew it. I was going to throw up all over Bella and Alice and totally humiliate myself. _Stop being a pussy!_ I chastised myself.

I watched as she ran her fingers through her hair, a tell-tale that she was nervous. That made me smile, the fact that Bella Swan was nervous about meeting us. I watched her, taking in every detail. She was wearing her signature Nikes--they were all scuffed; I was close enough to see that part of the sole was coming away from the shoe. Her jeans were frayed at the knees and I automatically knew those were THE jeans. The jeans that replaced her signature black pants that basically fell apart from constant wear. Those jeans came from one of the sexiest photo shoots Bella had ever done. They fit low across the hips and sagged a little in the back, which required her to constantly pull them up.

I smiled when I noticed she was wearing her Smirnoff shirt; it was completely tattered with holes and loose threads. If you looked close enough, you could see part of her stomach through one of the holes, and I had to contain the lustful groan that was building in my chest. Her signature plaid shirt was wrapped around her shoulders and I could have sworn it was the same one Jessica had been photographed in when she arrived at the Vancouver airport. Her hair was tossed up in a messy ponytail with a few loose pieces tucked behind her ears. I noticed a mole on the side of her neck, just under her ear, and instantly wanted to kiss it.

"Where is Rosalie?" Emmett asked in his loud voice, breaking me from my deep concentration.

Jasper laughed, explaining to Alice and Bella that we were his friends, and I nodded. I could hear everyone talking and I could see Emmett moving in my peripheral vision, but the only thing I paid attention to was _her_.

She stood there, smiling awkwardly and listening while Alice took control of the conversation and began explaining something to Emmett. I couldn't help but look Bella over, the way her feet were positioned, how she kept pulling her pants up, the way she would run her fingers through her hair…it was everything I had imagined. This was Bella. The woman I had been in love with since the first time I saw her in that made for TV movie where she wore a rainbow sweater. Bella Swan was standing in front of me and I couldn't even say anything.

"So, you're Edward?" Alice asked in an excited voice. I only nodded. "Well, it's very nice to meet you."

She stuck her hand out and I shook it while still watching Bella. I needed to say something. I couldn't just stand here and look like an absolute idiot. This was my chance! This was the opportunity I had been waiting for; I needed to prove to her that I was different.

"And, as you know, this is Bella," Alice motioned to her and she took a step forward. I watched as she talked quietly with Chelsea and Becca. All of us jumped when she started laughing hysterically, and I could only guess that they had mentioned something regarding Jessica's little brother. She shook Emmett's hand next, and I was relatively relieved when he didn't embarrass me.

I was next. I tried to take a deep breath to calm myself but it ended up sounding like a gasping sob. How did this woman have that much control over me? I hadn't even met her before but I was willing to do anything for her.

I would be willing to eat broken glass, cut off a finger, and kill a puppy…ANYTHING for her. All she had to do was ask and it would happen. If it would make her smile, make her laugh, I would do it.

My fingers itched to touch her and I balled my hands into tights fists. The want I felt inside of me was aching, almost to the point that I wanted to cry. If I could just touch her, hold her, kiss her… my life would be perfect. I wanted to fist my hands in her hair and pull her to me. I wanted to feel her lips on mine, her body pressed up against mine. I wanted to lick her jaw and gently bite her neck and earlobes. I wanted her to be mine forever.

"Edward, right?" she said quietly and I froze. Bella Swan just said my name. MY MOTHER FUCKING NAME! My heart stopped and I am sure my mouth fell open in a state of shock. She smiled and leaned her head towards me. "Are you alright?"

SAY SOMETHING, EDWARD! YOU HAVE TO FUCKING SAY SOMETHING!

"I'm Edward," I said, my voice breaking and making me sound like I was thirteen again. I cringed, and in an effort to make up for my stupidity, I thrust my hand forward to shake hers.

That would have been fine, normal even, except for the fact that I put too much force into it and ended up hitting her chest with my hand. I froze. Emmett and Jasper groaned at my mistake, and even Becca and Chelsea gasped. Fans didn't touch Bella, ever. It was a cardinal rule of the fandom. You didn't grab or touch any of them without their permission, and I was damn sure Bella didn't invite me to hit her chest.

"I am… God, I am so sorry," I muttered while Bella just looked at me, rubbing her chest. Did I just feel up Bella Swan on accident? Holy fucking shit!

"No, um… it's fine," Bella mumbled while looking anxiously at Alice and another woman standing beside them. My eyes widened in recognition at their manager. Esme was watching Bella, the two of them silently communicating. I looked between them, hoping Bella wasn't going to freak out. She gave Esme a slight nod and I couldn't help but sigh in relief.

I took a deep breath, preparing to apologize and hopefully start over. I opened my mouth and was interrupted as the door flew open and everyone turned to look and see who it was.

"Oh, there you are," Esme said with a light laugh.

I felt my eyes go wide in recognition, then narrow from absolute hate. Jacob Black was walking towards us and I felt my entire body go cold. The way he walked and moved… ugh, it was infuriating. It was like he was so damn sure of himself yet annoyed that he even had to be there. I wanted to yell at him that none of us wanted him there anyway, but I had already made a fool of myself. I didn't need to do it again.

"The interview ran long," he muttered as he pulled a cigarette out of his back pocket and lit it. I was almost positive there was no smoking in here. "Hi guys, I'm Jacob."

Jasper looked at me for a second before turning to him with his hand out. "I'm Jasper Whitlock; it's nice to meet you."

Jacob turned to me and smiled slightly. "I'm Jacob."

"I know who you are," I muttered as I shook his hand. Emmett covered up a laugh with a boisterous cough but I just continued to glare at Jacob.

"Well, this is fun," Alice said lightly and Jasper laughed.

The doors opened again and when Becca and Chelsea started screaming, I knew that meant Jessica and her brother had arrived. They pushed by all of us, knocking Alice into Jasper and Bella into Emmett. Jacob came stumbling towards me, but I side-stepped him. He could take care of himself.

We all watched as the two of them basically attacked Oliver. His eyes were wide with what could have been fear or excitement, and Jessica simply moved out of their way and kept walking towards Bella.

I looked back at Emmett to see him straightening Bella. Alice and Jasper caught my eye. Both of them were still holding onto each other. I swear it was like Jasper was looking at her like he was admiring some sort of classic masterpiece, while Alice simply looked… content.

"Alright guys, it's time to get ready for the Q&A session," Esme said while watching Alice out of the corner of her eye. "We have time for a group picture if you guys want one."

Why wouldn't I want one? I could frame it and share it with people. I could tell them that this was the day I made an absolute idiot of myself in front of a woman I loved and admired more than anything else on the planet.

We shuffled around, trying to fit into a small group, which consisted of Emmett standing in the middle and the rest of us trying to fit around him. Chelsea and Becca pulled Oliver to kneel with them on the floor in front of us. Alice stood next to Jasper smiling as he hesitantly put his arm around her shoulders. Jessica stood in front of Emmett, pulling Bella next to her, leaving her standing directly in front of me. I noticed she seemed to have a death grip on her jacket. I smiled, inhaling deeply and was about to say something when I was once again interrupted.

"Here, let me stand in the back," Jacob said as he pushed himself between Bella and me, placing him directly behind her. Emmett glared at him as he shuffled next to him. Before I could say anything, Esme started counting and there was a bright flash.

They all broke apart from us and as we all said our goodbyes, I was pissed about two things. One, that Jacob-fucking-Black had ruined two perfectly good opportunities for me to redeem myself; and Two, that I had blown a once in a lifetime chance by acting like a complete tool.

I sighed and watched Bella walk away with Alice and Jacob, Jessica and Oliver behind them. I was heartbroken and absolutely devastated that I had ruined this moment for myself. And wasn't it just my luck that my humiliation and defeat would forever be captured on film.

******

[ Emmett ]

"Where is Rosalie?!" I asked loudly, ignoring Edward obsessing over Bella and Jasper making goo-goo eyes at Alice. I kept looking around her and Bella to make sure I wasn't missing her.

"Alice, Bella these are actually my friends," he laughed and introduced us all. I could care less about all of the fucking pleasantries. My leg was fucking killing me from where Chelsea had tackled me and pulled my groin muscle again, and to top it all off, Rosalie wasn't even here!

"Rosalie is actually doing a meet and greet for the Make-A-Wish Foundation," Alice explained while trying to shake my hand. "But I'm Alice and it's nice to meet you."

I honestly wanted to tell her to fuck off because I had no desire to meet Alice or Bella. They were hot, don't get me wrong, but neither one of them were Rosalie-fucking-Hale hot. But I knew if I even muttered the word fuck in front of Alice, Jasper would have me in a headlock, threatening to hurt me. His damn Southern manners and morality were a constant pain in my ass.

"Are you a Rosalie fan?" Alice asked and I only nodded. I wanted to leave, go fucking pout, and suffer by myself. It wasn't fair that everyone got to meet THEIR girls before me. Hell, at this rate, Chelsea and Becca would get to meet the Ginger Panda before I would get the chance to meet Rosalie.

My life sucked.

Before I knew what was happening, Bella Swan was standing in front of me and smiling. I shook her hand, telling her it was nice to meet her and trying not to sound disgruntled. She was alright, I guess; I didn't understand why everyone freaked out about her--she was just a person. I mean sure, she made a hell of a lot more money than I ever would, and yeah, she was kind of cute, but she still put her pants on one leg a time, just like everyone else.

Watching her and seeing how absolutely nervous she was made me feel sorry for her. Everyone knew Bella was paranoid as fuck. She was constantly in fear that someone would stab her or something, and that was definitely not okay. I smiled and tried to relay the message that I wasn't going to shank her with a toothbrush or anything. She smiled back to me before looking at Edward.

"Edward, right?" she asked quietly.

Now, I may be a hard-ass mother fucker, but I was excited for my brother. So when he stood there just staring at her, I got a little nervous. I looked at Jasper, raising my eyebrows. He shook his head slowly and we both looked back at Edward.

"I'm Edward!" he said loudly.

I wanted to laugh because he had just screamed at her with his voice cracking and his nervousness was just so fucking comical. I knew my brother and I could guarantee you he was fighting back a hard-on. But I am not a complete douche bag, so I kept my mouth shut.

That was until he basically reached out and grabbed Bella's tit. I knew he hadn't meant to, but that didn't stop the fact that his hand had clearly just grazed her tit, maybe even a nipple. I groaned at the same time as Jasper and prayed like hell that Edward wouldn't run from the room crying.

"I am… God, I am so sorry," Edward muttered and I closed my eyes and pressed my lips together, trying hard as hell not to fucking laugh.

The room became silent, Bella mumbling something and looking back at the mom-looking woman standing behind Alice. I was about to make a sarcastic remark, anything to break the fucking tension, but the door flew open and in walked the biggest distraction anyone could offer. Jacob Black.

_Oh shit_, I thought to myself and looked back at Jasper. He was staring at me, a panicked look on his face, and I knew we were both hoping Edward wouldn't go all Kung Fu ninja on his ass.

Jacob introduced himself and thankfully Jasper had the balls to shake his hand. I was point blank refusing--I didn't care if it was rude or not. I was scared to death that Edward would rip my fucking arm off if I even touched that guy.

When Jacob held his hand out for Edward to shake, I was torn between hoping Edward would throw down and praying like hell he would just be cool. When he muttered an "I know who you are" I couldn't help but laugh. I tried to turn it into a cough, but Jasper, Chelsea and Becca all glared at me.

"Well, this is fun," Alice said and Jasper laughed along nervously before the doors opened again.

I swear to God the way that Chelsea and Becca were screaming, you would think someone was beating them to death. Bella came flying at me as Chelsea ran past her and pushed her forward. Instinctively, my hands went out to catch her. I held onto her arms until she was standing back up.

I looked over to see Chelsea and Becca basically attacking this scrawny ass kid. The Ginger Peacock was nothing like what I thought he would be. He kinda resembled that kid from the MAD magazine, but not nearly as ugly. His hair was red as fuck though; I could definitely see where the ginger nickname came from.

"We have time for a group picture if you guys want one," The mom looking lady said, and I guessed that she was their manager.

I wanted to ask her why the fuck I would want a picture if Rosalie wasn't even here, but decided to keep my mouth shut. Never in my life had I ever wanted to be someone else, but as everyone shuffled around me, I couldn't help but wish I was a Make-A-Wish kid. I would throw myself down a flight of stairs and risk a broken back if that meant that Rosalie Hale would pat my head and sign my cast.

"Here, let me get in the back," Jacob said, pushing Edward out of the way and standing beside me. I glared at him, wanting to be like "mother fucker, I know you did not just push my brother out of the way," but before I could even say anything, that lady was counting and the flash went off.

Jacob slapped my back and I wanted to push him away from me. There was something about that kid that was just… off, like he was unstable or something. I didn't like him and that was for damn sure.

"It was really nice to meet you guys. I hope you enjoy the rest of the convention," Alice said while smiling and looking around at all of us. She walked up to Jasper, whispering to him.

Bella waved awkwardly, telling us goodbye. Jessica hung out in the background with a smirk on her face as Jessica and Chelsea tried to get a few pictures with the ginger kid.

"Bye, Jasper," Alice smiled and stopped to look at as their manager moved them down the hall way. He smiled and waved, thanking her for the interview.

They disappeared down the hallway. I heard a door shut and everything became quiet. Awkwardly quiet. Jasper was standing there with his hands in his pockets, smiling like an idiot. Chelsea and Becca were texting a mile a minute on their phones. And Edward looked… horrible.

"That was bullshit," I said loudly. Everyone jumped as my voice echoed in the empty hallway. Edward only sighed and nodded; Chelsea, Becca, and Jasper just looked at us. "Well, it was bullshit for me and Edward. You fuckers got to meet who you wanted to. I just stood here like a fucking asshole."

"Emmett, you got to meet two of the biggest celebrities in the world," Jasper said slowly but I ignored him. Jasper Whitlock could kiss my ass. He could be chipper as fuck because he had actually gotten to meet Alice. Hell, she even eye-fucked him while they were standing in the hallway. I hadn't gotten anything this entire fucking trip other than a one night stand, a kiss from Chelsea, and a fucking pulled groin muscle.

I made a complete fool of myself during that trivia contest, which would have been worth it if I had actually gotten to meet Rosalie, but hell no. I just made a douche of myself so that Edward could tit-grab Bella, and Chelsea and Becca could rape a pre-pubescent kid. This was complete bullshit!

I grumpily followed all of them back out into the convention center, threw myself into my chair and started the whole fucking waiting process all over again. Bitches came up to me, trying to ask what it had been like to meet the cast, but I just glared at them.

Tomorrow I was going to fucking meet Rosalie Hale. I didn't care if I had to beat the shit out of some twelve year-old kid, my ass going to meet her and she would fucking like it. End of story.

When the lights in the room dimmed, the entire fucking place erupted in screams. I took the video camera from Edward and sat there, waiting. If Rosalie Hale didn't show up for this Q&A, I was going to pitch a mother fucking fit.

We listened to the rules about how the Q&A would work and I sighed as Jasper turned and looked at us from his seat in the media section. I tried to flip him off, but almost dropped the camera and decided I would just punch him in the face later. Smug-ass bitch.

The cast started making their way onto the stage; first, a few people I didn't give a shit about, but when they announced Jacob Black, I thought my ear drums might rupture. He waved, blew a kiss to the audience like a douche bag, and sat down.

"Jacob Black, I want you in me!" I heard someone behind me scream. I turned around to see Paige standing on her chair screaming and clapping. Fuck me.

"Miss Alice Brandon, Ladies and Gentlemen!" they announced excitedly and I turned back forward.

She walked out onto the stage and waved both of her arms, smiling at the crowd. She walked to her seat behind the table and winked at someone sitting with the press. I didn't even need to guess who it was. I rolled my eyes and looked at Edward. He was still looking all sad and depressed; maybe now Jasper would let me hire him a hooker, or maybe Becca would be interested. I needed to remember to mention that later.

When they announced Rosalie's name, I swear to God I almost came in my pants. I couldn't even cheer, that's how fucking excited I was. Emmett Cullen was speechless.

I watched as she walked across the stage with a huge smile on her face. She waved at everyone and I still couldn't stop smiling. I was sure I looked like a fucking idiot, but I didn't care. That was my girl up on stage, leaning over to pull her chair closer to the table, and giving me just the slightest hint of cleavage. Hale to the fucking yes! I was going to need a bathroom and a lot of fucking Kleenex by the time this was over.

If it was loud when Jacob came on stage, it was nothing compared to how loud it got when Bella walked onto that stage. It was so loud it was deafening. I watched as Rosalie, Alice, and Bella all winced slightly. It amazed me that they could all sit up there, acting like this was no big deal. If I was up there and had thousands of people screaming at me, I would probably crap my pants.

I looked at Edward, who still looked upset, but he was at least smiling slightly. He was clapping and watching Bella like there was nothing else even going on in the room. It kind of made my heart melt. I knew that Edward had a crush on Bella; I mean, pretty much everyone did, but the more I watched him, the more obvious it became. Edward loved Bella. He really loved her, and I had no idea how I would ever get him past the fact that he probably didn't stand a chance in hell.

"Welcome to VanCon, guys!" Rosalie said into the microphone in front of her, making the noise level raise another octave. She laughed, turning to Bella and Alice, all three of them leaning into each other and talking. Alice laughed before turning back forward and smiling widely.

After what seemed like an hour, the noise level finally calmed down. Everyone settled into their chairs, and you could practically feel the excitement radiating around the room. It was making me nervous as fuck, and I couldn't keep my leg from bouncing up and down.

People started asking questions and I have to admit that most of them were either totally lame or just downright stupid. I knew for a fact that Rosalie had answered the question about what her favorite candy was in at least ten other interviews. People really needed to come up with better questions at these things.

When some girl in the back asked Bella what it was like to kiss Jacob, I was pretty sure I heard Edward growl, but you could just tell that it made Bella uncomfortable. She muttered something about it being professional, but when her entire face turned bright red, the majority of the audience made a collective "aw" sound. Jacob at least had the decency to seem embarrassed, too.

"Hi…um…I'm Maggie and my question is for Alice. I was wondering if you were stranded on a desert island and could only have two things with you, what would you take?" a girl sitting to the right of us asked, she had a huge ass smile on her face and her hands were shaking so hard you could see the microphone moving.

"Hi, Maggie!" Alice smiled and bit her lip. "Hmm, only two things? That's a tough one."

"Just pick two things," Rosalie told her, but Alice ignored her.

"Well can I say a thing and a person?" The moderator nodded and Alice continued. "But you can't ask me who the person is."

Rosalie and Bella looked at Alice, and under their stare, her face started blushing.

"I would take my guitar, and someone with me," she said with small laughed before sinking back into her chair and playing with the sleeve of her shirt.

_Uh…what the hell?_

I looked at Edward who was looking back at me questionably. There was no way she was talking about Jasper. That fucker had just met her--there was no way. She was probably talking about one of her band mates or a friend. Jasper was a smooth fucker, but there was no way he was smooth enough to win over Alice Brandon in less than twenty-four hours.

"My name is Joe, and my question is for all three of the ladies. I was wondering is it boy shorts or thongs?" some douche bag asked. The room erupted in nervous laughter, and as much as I really, REALLY wanted to know the answer, I wanted to punch that jackass in the jaw even more.

The three of the girls all leaned into each other talking; I couldn't tell if they were trying to act like they didn't hear the question, or just deciding how to answer it, but before they could even answer it, that asshat opened his mouth again.

"Or, maybe Jacob knows," he laughed and I swear to God it took everything I had not to run back there and shove that guy's head up his own ass. Edward stood up, and if looks could kill, that bitch would have been dead.

Jacob only shook his head and looked nervously at Bella, who looked like she just wanted to crawl in a hole and hide. I was seriously starting to feel sorry for all of them; I mean, hell, even Jacob was getting asked ridiculous questions.

"Next question," the moderator asked and the room settled back down.

Edward held his arm up, a look of fierce determination on his face. When they handed him the microphone, I prayed that he wouldn't make an ass of himself again.

"My name is Edward," he said boldly and I had to admit that I was impressed. I saw Jasper turn around in his seat and stare at him. "And my question is for Bella."

"Hi Edward," she said quietly. Alice was looking between the two of them with an amused look on her face.

Edward took a deep breath. "Before you started the _CA _series, your life wasn't on display for the entire world to judge, and you've said in the past that right before you signed on to do the first movie that you were considering dropping acting and doing music full time. Knowing what you know now, if you could go back, would you make the decision to continue acting, or would you have pursued music?"

I blinked slowly, looking up at my brother who had just asked the most profound question of the entire Q&A session. Jasper smiled before turning around and looking back at Bella, who was looking at Edward with a somewhat dazed look on her face. My fucking brother had just dazzled Bella Swan. There were very few people in that room who knew how big of a deal this was to Edward, but at that second, everyone one of us was smiling at Edward. I was proud as hell.

"That's a really good question," Rosalie said quietly and Alice nodded.

"Um… well I have to say that when we started the first movie, none of us had any idea that it would get this big. I am incredibly thankful for everything that this series has given me, and also for all of the fans," she said, running her hands through her hair and looking nervously at Alice and Rosalie. "Every day I wake up and expect all of this to be some sort of dream because I really don't feel like I…deserve any of this. But, as thankful as I am, I would have to say that I probably would have chosen music."

Edward muttered a polite thank you into the microphone before giving it back and sitting down. A hushed whisper spread through the room and even though Edward hadn't said anything about respecting their privacy, his question was pretty much a bitch slap to everyone who considered Bella's life fair game.

The session ended after a few more questions, and while we sat there waiting for Jasper, I nudged Edward's arm. He looked up at me and I smiled at him.

"That was a really good question."

Edward shrugged and looked back at the now empty stage. "These people claim to love her, but they don't realize how their actions make her want to quit acting. There is a difference between accepting that parts of your life will be put on display when you become a celebrity, and having people expect you to just answer any question they ask, no matter how personal. It isn't fair."

Jasper appeared at our side and patted Edward's back. "Y'all ready to head back to the hotel?"

I nodded, hating the awkwardness that was lingering. Something had shifted--not between the three of us, but something about us. It made me uncomfortable, but I shrugged it off and followed Jasper out of the room. Things were getting way too serious and I needed to lighten the mood.

"It's too bad they didn't call on me, I had the perfect question," I told both of them while holding the door wide open.

"And what's that?" Jasper asked and they stopped to look at me.

"I was going to ask Rosalie if she is a bed hog," I said lightly, making both of them smile. "Because if she is a cover stealer, there is no way a relationship between us would ever work."

******

**Epically long A/N:**

**JFI:** Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! A million thanks to everyone reading/reviewing/recommending! We cannot say that enough. You guys are awesome, and your reviews and comments just crack me up. I would seriously throw down with any other author out there to prove you guys are the best readers, that's how much I love you.

Can I just say, poor Emmett! That kid just can't catch a break! Maybe he will get to meet Rosalie in the next chapter, if he behaves! I also have a confession; I went all Edward when the new VF pics of Rob came out! How is it possible for one man to be THAT damn attractive? It just isn't fair. Rob, if you ever read this, just know that the bib and old man PJ pants are ultimate win in my book. *wink*

So yeah… less than a month till New Moon. LMW booked her plane tickets, Hammondgirl got her costume for my fantabulous 80's b-day party, and all is set to rock come November 18th. If you guys aren't following us on Twitter, now would be a good time to start. This shit is about to get epic. I'm justforkit

**LMW:** Well now that JFI has taken all the good points, can I say thank you again? Really, you all make my day on here, in my inbox, and on Twitter. I love, love, love feeling all the love.

That being said, are you following me on Twitter? If you aren't (I'm melsvfp) than you missed out on my fantastic Halloween costume—I was Rob Pattinson this year! I've made it my default so go check it out and let me know what you think!

And thanks for telling your friends about us—keep up the good work!!

I am sure we will update before this, but just in case we can't, we hope everyone enjoys New Moon and has a happy Thanksgiving!! XOXO!

**Also, a tidbit: We've put ourselves up for auction for Alex's Lemonade. Voting starts November 15, and you can win a 5k one-shot from any POV of a part of the story that's happened up to the point that you win the auction, and you also get a one-shot EPOV of a dream he has about Bella. Second highest bidder gets a one shot of their choice of POV from any point up until the auction (but this will be 3,000 words). This is for a really great cause, so please do it for the kids!


	13. Right by the boner

**Disclaimer: None of us own Twilight, but if you bid on us for the Fandom Gives Back auction you can own an outtake of your choice and EPOV wet dream. Check out the link in our profiles!**

**[ Edward ]**

"What the hell are you wearing?" I heard Jasper ask, followed by a loud snort of laughter.

I looked up to see Emmett walking out of the bathroom with an incredibly too tight t-shirt with a tuxedo screen-printed on the front. When I say it was too tight, I mean it was really too tight. The bottom of his shirt barely hit the top of his jeans, showing more than a little of his gut and the clear definition of his nipples made me throw up a little in my mouth.

"Dude, this shirt is classic." Emmett ignored my look of disgust and Jasper's laughter as he stepped around me. "It says 'I'm here to party.'"

"Yeah--classically bad." Jasper sat back on the bed, pulling his boots on. "And it says 'hello, I look like a retard.'"

"And what the fuck are you two wearing? Jasper, I swear to God I've only seen you in something other than a fucking pearl snap shirt like twice since I've known you," Emmett glared at both of us. "And Edward, don't act like you didn't pick out your clothes based on the fact that Bella would be there tonight."

Jasper shrugged and I looked down at my own clothes. There wasn't anything wrong with a t-shirt and jeans, even if it might have been a close match to the one Bella had worn in an interview she did a few months ago.

"Are Becca and Chelsea going to the show?" I asked while Emmett pulled his shoes on. He really must have hurt his leg because even the act of putting shoes on made him grunt in discomfort.

Jasper shook his head and stood up, shoving his phone and wallet in his back pockets. "They heard something about Oliver being at a local bar so they are going over there."

I looked at Jasper, but as soon as he saw me looking at him he turned away. He had been acting weird since we got back to the hotel. He was being overly nice, but not really keeping eye contact with me; it was definitely not normal Jasper behavior.

"Damn good thing. Chelsea probably would have gotten drunk and tried to dry hump my leg or something," Emmett groaned and slowly pushed himself out of the chair.

"Emmett, that's so rude," I told him while holding the door open for them to walk through.

"Yeah well, when she tackles you and makes your whole inner thigh feel like the muscle is separating from the bone, then you can tell me I'm being rude." He walked past me, smirking at the black hoodie I held in my hand. I ignored him and pulled the jacket on.

"Did someone call for a cab?" he asked Jasper and me while we waited for the elevator.

"Why do we need a cab? Why can't we just walk?" I followed both of them into the elevator.

"What part of 'my whole fucking leg is killing me' are you not understanding?" Emmett growled and both Jasper and I ignored him. He really could be a big baby about shit.

After waiting a good fifteen minutes for a cab, we took the short five-minute drive to the club where the Monkeys were playing. Paying twenty bucks for that damn cab was ridiculous, but I didn't want to listen to Emmett complaining the rest of the night so I forked over the money and got out.

I asked Jasper what we were supposed to be doing since he was the one who had the tickets, but he was looking around with a distracted look on his face. "Hello, earth to Jasper!" I hit his arm and he shook his head. "Where do we pick up the tickets that the station got us?"

"Oh um…" He looked around.

Why the hell was he acting so shifty? It was like he was hiding something or was nervous. Whatever his deal was, he was making me a nervous wreck just being around him.

"Jasper, you know I'm not mad at you, right? I mean, I was upset, but I'm fine now," I told him, ignoring Emmett rubbing his leg, which looked a lot like he was masturbating. I was pissed at myself about how I had acted with Bella, but hopefully I was on the road to redemption.

He smiled. "Thanks."

"Can we please get the tickets and go inside?" Emmett asked grumpily and we both rolled our eyes.

We walked through the crowd. It was just like you see in the movies, the three of us walking side by side with Jasper in the middle. I smiled and watched as people recognized Emmett and me from the trivia contest, and couldn't help but be a little smug. The fact that Jasper was still wearing his press pass probably didn't help much either; if we had been standing still, I bet girls would have been all over him, just like they were while we were waiting in line.

We turned the corner and were about to head to the will-call ticket window and I almost stopped dead in my tracks. There was a limousine parked next to the curb and a throng of paparazzi crowding around the pavement and door.

"Good Lord," I muttered to myself and started stepping around them. This was ridiculous. I mean, if Bella and Rosalie were here, there is no way they would arrive in a limo and they sure as hell wouldn't just walk up to the front entrance. I fell off the curb when a group of photographers pushed me to the side as they rushed forward.

"Edward," I heard Emmett call as he looked back over his shoulder at me.

I groaned and stood on my toes to see over the crowd of people. "Emmett, just get my ticket and I'll meet you at the door," I yelled over the noise of people yelling at whoever was getting out of the car.

"What?" he yelled back at me and started trying to push back through the crowd to get me.

I stepped around a photographer and caught a glimpse of Jacob Black getting out of the car. Of course that douche bag would show up way fucking early and make a huge scene.

"Emmett, just…" I started to tell him to just wait for me but as I took another step forward, a photographer turned around and the lens of his camera collided painfully with my nose.

"Mother fucker!" I screamed from the pain and fell to the ground when someone hit my back. Dozens sets of legs and feet started trampling me and I tried to cover my face as best as I could and cowered into a fetal position.

I could hear people yelling and I closed my eyes against the pain that was ripping through my face. This was it. I'd never given much thought as to how I would die, but it was sad that my obituary would read that I was trampled to death by a group of paparazzi. I saw my life flash before my eyes, and a million thoughts ran through my head, like Hamlet. The only thing I could concentrate on was the fact that I had made a complete ass of myself when I grabbed Bella's breast. I really was a tool, but at least if I died I would die knowing what she felt like.

** ** **

**[ Jasper ]**

I was still riding the high of the interview. I figured I'd be feeling like a lucky son of a bitch for a long time after this. I was so impressed with the girls. Not only were they charming and adorable, but they were real. You just didn't see that very often in Hollywood. I'd interviewed at least 30 A and B-list celebrities since I'd started working at the station, and none of them carried themselves the way these girls did.

And Alice Brandon—what else could I say about her? I was so nervous that the way you saw her in interviews and at red carpets was not who she was at all. But she was, and she was more—so much more. I felt myself turning into a fanboy at the thought of her, but I couldn't help it. Alice Brandon was the ideal woman for me. She was charming, talented, smart, witty, and not to mention absolutely beautiful. She was a complete package.

I cringed as I thought back to the meet and greet. I should have known that Edward and Emmett would dominate the hell out of that trivia contest. When I walked in and saw the ice cold glare Edward was giving me, I wanted to turn and run down the hall back to our room and hide in the closet. I did a quick hand check to make sure I wasn't touching Bella, his beloved "Swan," and somehow managed to keep my calm. That is, until Edward decided he wanted to grab at Bella's breasts.

Rule #1 in the _CA_ fandom: do not paw the pieces.

After surviving the whole ordeal and walking out without a lawsuit, I got a chance to avoid Edward. The Q and A session allowed me to use my press pass to get up to the front row and away from the death glares. I sent him a text apology, but I'm sure he didn't look at it—as much as I loved Edward as a little brother, I was glad he wasn't biologically related to me. He could be such a stubborn bitch when he wanted to be.

I'm not gonna lie, when I heard his voice in the microphone with a question for Bella, my stomach dropped to my feet as I turned to stare at him. I silently prayed to God that he wouldn't fuck this up—he needed a moment of redemption.

"Before you started the _CA _series, your life wasn't on display for the entire world to judge, and you've said in the past that right before you signed on to do the first movie that you were considering dropping acting and doing music full time. Knowing what you know now, if you could go back, would you make the decision to continue acting, or would you have pursued music?" He asked boldly.

_Well I'll be_, I thought, _he's gone and done it!_

I smiled and turned around, anxiously looking for Bella's response. She looked completely in awe of him. I silently cheered and caught Alice's eye, who was smiling. I raised an eyebrow towards her and Rosalie as they fought to keep composure. Bella answered flawlessly and the whole audience clapped. My heart swelled with pride and I cheered along with them. Things were now looking up for our boy.

A piercing scream jarred me from my thoughts of Alice Brandon. I turned to look and saw a crowd clearing as Emmett was yelling for everyone to get back. A few seconds later I caught a glimpse of Edward, down on the ground in the fetal position, hands clasped over his face.

I leaned down, trying to get a good look at him. "Edward, what happened?"

He was trying not to cry but was unsuccessful. His chest was heaving and I managed to pry his hands away from his face. Blood was everywhere. His nose looked like it had been twisted sideways and it was definitely swollen.

"Edward, don't move, okay? We've got to get you some medical attention or something," I said frantically, standing up. I turned to see Emmett bearing down on a man with a huge camera around his neck. My blood started pumping as I walked over.

_Fucking paparazzi._

"You son of a bitch, you hurt my brother, and nobody, and I mean NOBODY, messes with my brother and gets away with it! What the hell is your deal? Do you need a picture that bad that you're willing to push people, fans, to the ground?"

The camera man was obviously terrified. I stood next to him, fists clenched together. "What's the problem here?" I asked sternly.

The paparazzi man looked to me with fear in his eyes. "It was an accident! I didn't see him! I turned around and I must have hit him with my camera! I didn't mean to do it, I swear!"

Emmett growled. "You're a liar. I know how you all work. You do whatever it takes to get the most embarrassing or best close-up picture. You ruin people's lives and cause traffic accidents. You're unashamed and you don't give a fuck about anyone. You should be ashamed of yourself. It's people like you that killed Princess Diana, you know! Asshole mother fuckers!"

I put my hand on Emmett's shoulder and he looked over at me.

"Don't start something here," I pleaded.

He nodded and was about to let it go before he grabbed the paparazzi man by the shirt collar. "If you ever fuck with Rosalie Hale, I will fuck up your face. Are we clear?"

He nodded, his whole body visibly shaking. Emmett set him down and he took off running. I turned back to Edward who was still lying there, rocking on the ground.

"We need a medic or something!" I shouted loudly. Other fans had gathered around and were whispering. I placed my hand on Edward's shoulder. "Hang in there, buddy."

Moments later, a big man, bigger than Emmett, came over. "Son, are you alright?"

I looked over at him. "He got hit in the face."

The man pulled his hand away and cringed at all the blood. "Come on; let's get you somewhere where we can take a better look at you."

Together, we helped Edward up. Emmett took over for me and helped Edward into a small room that was down a back hallway. They sat Edward in a folding chair and the big man, who I assumed was security, began looking at Edward's nose.

"I don't think it's broken, but we're going to need to clean off all this blood to be sure."

My head was spinning and my stomach was about to jump out of my throat. I did not do well with blood at all. Not even the fake stuff from Halloween.

"Man, go out and get some air or something. I don't wanna see that Juicy Fruit and Red Bull shit coming back up," Emmett said, pushing me towards the door.

I stepped outside and inhaled the cleaner air, already feeling better. I looked at my watch—we still had some time before the band started. I was fiddling around with my iPhone when I heard someone call my name.

"Jasper! There you are!" Esme called with a bright smile on her face.

I pulled my finger up to my lips and said "shh." I tilted my head towards the room.

"What happened?"

"My friend got attacked by a paparazzi and he's in pretty bad shape. Please don't mention anything to them about Alice getting us in backstage. I don't want them to ask questions or make assumptions…" I begged.

She winked at me and smiled. "You forget that I am a PR master." She placed her hand warmly on my forearm. "You let me handle this one." She opened the door and I followed in behind her. Edward already looked better without all the blood on his face.

"Oh my, what happened? Are you alright?" Esme asked.

Edward nodded meekly. "I'm fine." I held back a chuckle; his voice was nasally because of his injury.

"Who did this to you?" she asked, stepping forward and taking on that motherly persona the girls had referred to.

"It all happened so fast—we were just waiting to get in and suddenly they swarmed the building. I think Jacob Black must have walked by because people were screaming and the next thing I know, I was on the ground and bleeding."

Esme frowned. "I'm so sorry this happened to you," she looked to me and I mouthed 'Edward' to her. "Edward," she continued. "Why don't you and your friends come backstage and enjoy the concert there safely? It's the least we can do to apologize."

Edward smiled some. "I'd like that, thank you."

Esme clapped and smiled. "Perfect! Come with me then!"

Emmett had a glimmer of hope in his eyes and I nodded towards them. We followed Esme out of the room and I noticed that Edward had an extra pep in his step. I let him have his moment, feeling proud that he got us backstage. It was the least I could do for him for not killing me yet. We walked back to the room, which was littered with water bottles and Runts everywhere. I smiled when I noticed all the banana ones were gone—those must have been Alice's favorite. Red Solo cups littered the floor and a case of Red Bull was sitting in the corner.

"Well would you look at that? She drinks Red Bull," Emmett mocked, his head frantically taking in all the details and lack thereof. "Where is Rosalie?" he asked loudly.

I groaned. If Rosalie Hale did not show up, this was going to be a _long_ night.

Edward collapsed in a chair, letting his head hang back in efforts to stop the bleeding. His shoulders slumped and I think he was starting to get upset that Bella wasn't going to show.

"Where is Rosalie?" Emmett asked again, his lips turned down in a frown.

Esme walked in behind us, frowning. "There was an incident this afternoon at the Q and A session."

"What?!" Emmett asked, turning towards her.

"We were leaving the session and a fan came out of nowhere on the hallway and began chasing Bella, shouting at her. We got her away safely but she was pretty spooked. Rosalie offered to stay with her tonight in case anything happened."

"Is Bella alright?! Was she hurt? Did she have to go to the hospital? Was the fan apprehended?" Edward asked, sitting forward and staring at Esme attentively.

Esme nodded. "She's fine. She wasn't physically harmed, thank God. Not like in New York—"

"When that girl tried to choke her and she almost got hit by a cab. Despicable," Edward finished, anger showing across his face.

Esme nodded. "It hasn't always been easy for her, but she's been a real good sport about it all."

Edward was grumbling to himself about how fans should be ashamed of themselves and some other stuff about personal space.

"Well, I, for one, am glad the girls are alright. It was nice of Rosalie to stay and support her friend," Emmett said, sitting down and tossing a few of the Runts in his mouth. "Although I have to say, God hates me right about now. First, I don't get to meet her because I'm not the Make-A-Wish kid, and now some crazy fangirl is gonna keep her away from the concert? Fuck my life."

Esme looked over to me and I shrugged some. "Sorry, Em. At least you'll get to see her tomorrow," I tried.

"Screw you, Jasper! You're the one who's got Alice Brandon wrapped around your pinky finger."

I rolled my eyes. "You'll feel better when you see Rosalie tomorrow," I said, feeling slightly embarrassed by his outburst, but understanding why he did it. Of course, if I were him, I'd be pissed off by now, too.

"Just make yourselves comfortable and I'll be back in a little while," Esme said, excusing herself.

Emmett leaned over to Edward and grabbed his ice pack, settling it down on his crotch.

"Emmett, what the hell?" Edward asked.

Emmett gave him the 'duh' face. "Pulled groin, remember? You can have it back in a few minutes."

Edward wrinkled his face and winced in pain. "No thanks. You can keep it."

I would have laughed at the two of them, but at that exact moment, Alice's voice came on the microphone.

"Hey everybody! We are 100 Spider Monkeys and we are going to play some music for you tonight!"

The crowd erupted into yells and screams as they began playing one of their songs. It was raw and funky, and the toe of my boot tapped along with the beat. They played another one of their songs and I jammed out, enjoying the sound and the scene. My fingers began twitching and I had the sudden urge to pick up my guitar and start playing again. Since I'd been with Ann, I hadn't played a single note—she never really encouraged my musical talents. But suddenly my body felt alive again. I promised myself when I got home, I'd get my guitar fixed up and running again.

"Okay, someone give us a topic—anything! We'll make up a song about it!" Alice called to the crowd. They automatically began spouting out all sorts of things, from people's names to random words.

"What the fuck is this fuckery? They don't have enough songs so they have to make them up when they get here? This is bullshit. I don't get this at all."

I let my arm swing back behind me and I socked Emmett right in the stomach. He made a loud 'oof' noise and muttered a string of curse words.

"You better not disrespect Alice Brandon. Her band is very eclectic and they like to get the audience involved in the experience. You're just too stupid to understand."

"Someone call the fucking press! Jasper Whitlock has grown himself a vagina!"

I turned to him and punched him again. He sunk into a chair and glared at me.

"I like it, it's unique and refreshing," Edward piped in, trying to ease the tension.

I turned to him and smiled. I guessed he and I were cool again. "Thanks."

The band played for another hour or so, mixing up songs they wrote with a few covers and one more improv song. They thanked the fans for coming and supporting them and filed back into the room where we sat. I saw Esme pull Alice to the side and whisper something in her ear and she nodded.

A taller girl walked back, with long blonde hair and a relaxed stance. She stuck her hand out. "Hey, I'm Betty J."

I nodded and shook her hand. "Jasper Whitlock—it's nice to meet you."

"Hey a friend of—"

Alice jumped in at that moment. "Oh hey Jasper! It's great to see you again!"

I smiled at her as she took a swig from her water bottle. Her face was shiny with sweat, her white button down t-shirt clinging to her in all the gloriously right places. I looked around to see Edward talking with another girl, who, from research, I knew was Jena, and she was smiling and joking around. Emmett was sulking in the corner, but was making some conversation with an older lady. Her name was Aunt Linda, and she played the drums and flute sometimes with the girls.

"Great show," I commented to Betty and Alice.

They smiled. "Thanks, it was a pretty awesome crowd," Betty said, popping a Red Bull and chugging.

Emmett hobbled over and began to chat with Alice. At least he wasn't being a spoil-sport anymore. He was making her laugh and it made me feel good to see my friends getting along so well with Alice.

She smirked at him. "Nice shirt."

He grinned. "I'm here to party!"

She looked over at him. "Good thing Rosalie's not here—she _hates_ shirts like that. Just a thought."

He looked at her like she had just given him the golden ticket to Willy Wonka's factory.

Edward walked over to me and I heard Alice gasp.

"Oh my gosh, what happened to you?!"

Edward shrugged. "There was an accident."

She touched his arm and he smiled some. "Are you alright?"

He nodded. "Doesn't hurt much anymore."

"Who did this to you?"

"Some paparazzi were out there…they rushed everyone and I got trampled. I don't know how you do it, Alice. I mean, it was so terrifying. Everything was out of control and it all happened so fast! And they are so rude! I mean, how can they just attack you all like that? It's not right and it certainly isn't safe! Imagine if something happened to you? Who would be held responsible?" His body was shaking and Alice slung her arm around him tightly.

"Thanks for caring, Edward. It sucks that this happened to you, and I'll never be able to apologize enough. But thank you for seeing us like real people. Its fans like you that make all this mess worthwhile. I know Bella would really appreciate it, too."

His face lit up like a kid at Christmas and it was at that moment I knew I was truly head over heels in love with Alice Brandon.

** ** **

**[ Emmett ]**

Yesterday had been a complete disappointment. No Rosalie, no time to myself to rub one out, and the god damn sexual frustration I was feeling was definitely getting to me. I was running on less than eight hours of sleep in three days. My leg hurt like a son of a bitch and I just wanted to be left the fuck alone. My plan had been to just rub one out in the shower, but Edward's constant knocking kept fucking with my game plan. As soon as I would even get semi-hard, he would start knocking and that shit would deflate faster than a balloon. It was only making my frustration worse. I finally gave up, turned that fucking water on as cold as I could, and stood there trying not to cry. I just needed a fucking orgasm and I would be fine.

I got out of the shower and quickly dried myself off. I looked down into my suitcase and frowned. My clothing options were seriously cut down by the fact that one pair of my jeans had a hole in the crotch and the others were covered in blood from last night. Fucking hell.

With a sigh, I took my khakis out of the bag and pulled them on. Edward had forced me to bring dress clothes incase we ended up going to some uppity restaurant and I figured that if I was finally going to be meeting Rosalie Hale then I might as well dress nice. I pulled the button-up shirt on, watching in the mirror as I tried to do the buttons. _Why the fuck are these damn buttons not cooperating?_

I looked down when I noticed how hard my hands were shaking. _What the fuck is wrong with me?!?! _I shook my hands and took a deep breath. I was Emmett-mother fucking-Cullen. I didn't get nervous and I sure as hell didn't let some chick make me this jumpy. Granted Rosalie was hot, and I definitely wanted to do her, but the bottom line was that she was a chick. She had a vag and tits, and the fact she was a movie star didn't make her any better or worse than other girls I had fucked around with.

"Get a fucking grip, Cullen," I muttered to myself and started trying to flatten my hair.

"Emmett, will you please hurry!" Edward started banging on the door again and I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. With one last look in the mirror, I threw my comb back in my bag and opened the door.

I ignored Edward's expression and walked past him. Jasper was sitting on the bed and smiled when he saw me. "You look nice, Emmett."

"Fuck you very much," I muttered and started digging around in my bag for a pair of socks. I knew those fuckers were going to give me a hard time about this.

"I'm being serious, you look nice," Jasper said, and Edward agreed with him.

"I just didn't have any clean jeans, okay? One pair ripped and the others are covered in blood, so I only have this left. Is that ok with you assholes?" I practically yelled at both of them. Jasper looked over my head at Edward, and both of them were smart enough to just keep their mouths shut.

***

"Emmett, are you okay?" Edward asked me for the hundredth time and I just nodded.

We had been standing in line for our photo sessions with the ladies for over an hour and half. My leg was throbbing, I was sweating and shaking from nervousness, and I was trying really hard not to just start yelling at all of the giggling teenagers around me.

"Emmett, you look like you're about to pass out." Jasper looked at me then back to Edward. "Maybe you should go back to the hotel."

"One way or another I am fucking meeting Rosalie Hale today, even if it fucking kills me!" I snapped at both of them and they backed off. Although when I started re-tucking my shirt for the fifth time in twenty minutes, Edward gave me a shifty look.

If I could have just fucking met her that first day then I would be fine! The fact that this bullshit had been drawn out was making me incredibly nervous. This wasn't like me! It also didn't help that I hadn't had an orgasm in almost forty-eight hours; my body wasn't used to that shit. I shook my head and laughed sarcastically at how much like my brother I was acting. Jasper and Edward both gave me nervous looks.

The line started forking off, leading into the different rooms, and Jasper and Edward both looked at me nervously as they left me to stand in the line leading to their photo sessions with Bella and Alice.

"I'm fine," I reassured both of them.

I stood there, fidgeting and rolling my neck, trying to make myself calm down. I should have learned my lesson from watching Edward making a fool of himself yesterday; being nervous wasn't going to help a damn thing. I was next in line, and I tried really, REALLY fucking hard to calm down. But when I heard her voice, and then her laughter, I fucking lost it.

I closed my eyes, trying to calm down, but all I could picture was Rosalie Hale spread out on my mother fucking bed. She was naked and looking so fucking delicious. I licked my lips as I imagined her running her hands over her stomach and perky breasts.

"Emmett Cullen?" I heard someone say my name and my eyes popped open, stopping the image of Rosalie fondling herself to the sound of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's _Relax_.

"Yes?" I asked with my voice deeper than usual.

"It's your turn," they told me and I took a deep breath before walking in the room.

Now I have done my fair share of drugs; I experimented with 'shrooms and ecstasy when I was younger and definitely had some weird-ass hallucinations, but none of those were ever as fan-fucking-tastic as the vision I saw when I walked into that room.

The normal part of my brain saw Rosalie Hale standing there in a killer pair of jeans that made her legs and ass look amazing. The fucked up side of my brain saw Rosalie Hale standing there buck-ass naked in all her fucking glory.

"Hi," she said with a smile that made my cock twitch.

"Hi…" I breathed heavily while trying to make my brain work properly. I blinked but could still see the image of a naked Rosalie Hale standing in front of me. She laughed again; the sound of it just made my stomach clinch and my dick harden.

"Are you okay?" she asked, looking at me closely.

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Oh… yeah, I'm fine." I started walking towards her, limping, not only because my entire leg was cramping and in pain, but because my dick was absolutely aching. I reached her and smiled, hoping I didn't look like a complete idiot.

"Oh…" she said and covered her mouth with her hands. "Are you from the Special Olympics?"

"What?" I asked louder than I meant to and she jumped slightly.

"It's just that… well, you're walking kind of funny and… it's ok; I mean, I admire the fact that you are so independent," she smiled brightly while positioning herself in front of me. I stared at her, wondering what the fuck she was talking about, but only nodded when she asked me if this position was ok.

"Oh, good," she said as she grabbed my hands, pulling my arms around her and smiling at the camera.

The moment she pulled me to her, I swear to God I thought I was going to come in my pants. I couldn't stop the low growl that escaped my mouth or the fact that I was panting against her neck.

The camera went off and I blinked slowly as she turned around and faced me. "You paid for two pictures, right?"

I only nodded and stared down at her.

"Well, what would you like to do for the second picture? Something fun?" She smiled and rubbed my arm comfortingly. "You know, my mom does a lot of work for the Special Olympics back home; I've always thought it was such a great organization."

It dawned on me that Rosalie thought that I was a member of the Special Olympics and I laughed, loudly, right in her face. Her smile faltered slightly and she blinked up at me.

"I'm not from the fucking Special Olympics," I told her and her face fell in embarrassment.

"I am so sorry!" She said in an embarrassed whisper and shook her head. "I just figured with the way you were limping…"

"Oh no, it's fine. I just hurt my leg," I muttered and smiled while I tried to think of a lie. I couldn't exactly tell her I hurt my leg by trying to crawl over a fence so I would be first in line to meet her. "I hurt it playing Ultimate Frisbee."

"Oh," she smiled and shrugged sheepishly. "Well, do you want to take another picture? Something fun and crazy? Some fans like it if I act like I'm kicking their ass…"

"As tempting as that sounds, I actually have another idea, is that ok?" I asked, flashing my dimples.

"Ok," she said hesitantly. "What's your idea?"

"Can I pick you up?" I asked bluntly, loving the way her eyes narrowed slightly before she smiled.

"Pick me up?" she laughed and looked behind her at the photographer and security guard. They were both watching us.

"I won't hurt you," I promised quietly, and winked when she looked back at me.

"Ok, sure," she nodded, and before she had time to change her mind, I picked her up in my arms. One arm tightened around her side as her legs dangled over the one. She laughed nervously and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Wow… you just don't hold back, do you?" she asked while looking me over.

I smiled, all of the nervousness from before fading. "I go for what I want."

"On the count of three, kids," the photographer said and we looked at him.

I smiled as Rosalie's arms tightened around my neck, and as the photographer counted down, I let my fingers tighten around her side. Rosalie Hale was just checking me out. I looked at the camera and gave the biggest fucking smile I could.

***

"How did it go?" Jasper asked as I walked out of the room.

"I think the pictures are going to be great," I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. "Yours?"

"It was fun!" Jasper smiled and leaned back in his chair. "We did some really fun poses."

"I'll bet you did." I looked at him knowingly. There was something going on between him and Alice Brandon and I would get to the bottom of it. Normal fans might get invited to stay backstage if they are mauled by the paparazzi, but they didn't get invited to the after party. I had watched the two of them all fucking night, but the only thing I was really able to figure out was that Alice Brandon might be little, but she would drink your ass under the table.

"Hey, Edward!" Jasper said loudly, ignoring my comment and stepping around me after jumping out of his chair. I turned around and saw Edward standing there, looking a little dazed and slightly embarrassed.

"You didn't grab her ass this time, did you?" I asked and he slowly shook his head.

"It was like… it was like there was this connection…" he mumbled while staring past all of us and concentrating on the wall behind us. "It's like, I felt something…"

Jasper slapped Edward on the back and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, leading him to the line to pick up our pictures. I snorted, following behind them. "Yeah I felt something, too."

We waited for another two hours to pick up our pictures, and Jasper and Edward were both pissed that I wouldn't show mine to them. We waited again in the line at the autograph table and I smiled to myself while watching the girls sign pictures for people. I ignored Jasper and Edward talking, instead concentrating on all of Rosalie's mannerisms.

She seemed like a really down to earth person. She might play a hard ass in the movies, but watching her, she was nothing but a big softie. It was clear that she wanted to make each of the fans feel welcomed and appreciated; she took the time to talk to them and actually carry on a conversation.

Alice was chirping away, flipping through pictures and signing them quickly. I had no idea how that girl could drink as much as she did and not be completely hung over. Bella looked as awkward as ever, just smiling nervously and constantly running her hands though her hair.

I approached the table and smiled down at Rosalie, feeling a little smug about the fact that she remembered me.

"Hey, how's the leg?" she smiled up at me.

"Oh, it's much better," I nodded and handed her the envelope with my pictures in them. "Can you sign both of those?"

She smiled and nodded. "I'm not supposed to--the limit is one--but I can break the rules just for you." This girl didn't even know how fucking turned on she was making me just by teasing me.

She signed the top picture and handed it back to me. When she got to the second one, she stopped and looked at the picture for a second before looking back up at me. Rosalie's face went bright red and I only smiled. She looked back down at the picture of her in my arms and I could tell she was focusing on the massive hard-on that was displayed prominently for everyone and their dog to see.

"Can you sign it?" I asked with a laugh, "Right by the boner would be great."

** ** **

**A/N**

**JFI-** *covers face from second-hand embarrassment* Good Lord, Emmett!! I seriously can't control him some days… *sigh* Kellan, if you ever read this, please know that I don't see you naked when I look at you. I mean, ok, I might sometimes… but I wouldn't ever… ok, I'll just shut up.

So thanks a million for all of the reviews and tweets and just…everything. We really do love them!!

**LMW:** hey gang! Another update here for you! Hope it was to your likings! Can I just say thank you to everyone for being so supportive and loving on me and JFI? It's incredible. I'm so excited you even read this! So thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my little heart, for being a reader/reviewer!

**IMPORTANT INFO!! The holidays and stuff are coming up: the week of the New Moon premiere we have SO much going on, and then the next week is Thanksgiving. So we just wanted to let you guys know we will only be posting one more chapter this month. It will be an EPIC chapter and we know you will love it, but we decided to take a small break and enjoy the New Moon goodness and then some time with our families. After Thanksgiving, we will get back into the writing habit, and take another small break for Christmas and New Years. **

**Don't forget that November 16****th**** is the auction for the Fandom Gives Back. You know you want it, so don't forget to check it out!**


	14. High Five to the Face

**Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight, but we own Stalkward, and if you bid on us for The Fandom Gives Back, you can, too! JustForkIt has a link to our auction page on her profile. Highest bidder gets an outtake of their choice, an EPOV dream involving Bella, and their name mentioned in the story. Second highest bidder gets an outtake of their choice. All stories will be delivered before the end of January. **

**[ Edward ]**

_Don't make an ass of yourself! Don't make an ass of yourself! _I repeated to myself over and over again as the line moved forward. I hadn't told Emmett or Jasper, but before we left, I had gotten a few Valium from one of the nurses Emmett worked with. I was saving them for an emergency situation, and since I had basically been a huge douche bag yesterday, I figured today qualified as an emergency. Before we left the hotel I had taken one and as I stood there, I worried it wasn't going to have any effect on me. I was still freaking out!

I was so fucking nervous and worried that I could basically feel the pending heart attack creeping up on me. I was nervous about seeing Bella again, especially since my nose was all busted and I had two black eyes. I was worried that I would make a complete ass of myself again, and I was definitely worried that Emmett was having some sort of mental break down.

I was next in line and could hear Bella laughing nervously. I took a second to calm myself. This was it. This would probably be my last chance to make any sort of connection with her. I wanted this to be something we would both remember, and not just because I had totally violated her personal space yesterday.

"Go ahead," the staff member told me after checking my name off of a list.

I gave her a nervous glance before taking a deep breath and walking into the room.

"Edward," I heard a voice call me, but was immediately disappointed when it was Esme and not Bella. "Oh, you poor thing! How is the nose?"

"Oh, I'll be fine," I smiled and lied. The truth was that it hurt. A lot. It felt like someone had kicked my face repeatedly, not to mention I looked like an idiot with my mouth hanging open since I couldn't breathe out of my nose.

I watched Bella out of the corner of my eye as I shook Esme's hand. She was standing there fidgeting and looking completely adorable, shy and uncomfortable, but adorable nonetheless.

"Bella, you remember Edward?" Esme asked and walked me to where Bella was standing. "He is the one Alice was telling you about this morning."

"How are you?" she smiled awkwardly and held her hand out.

Mentally I was screaming at myself to not fuck this one up, and when my hand held onto hers and shook it, I was relieved. "I'm okay. How are you?"

"Good, thank you," she said and shuffled her feet awkwardly after I let go of her hand.

I knew that was her customary response to that question but that still didn't make it any easier to hear. I knew she wasn't "good;" she was probably scared to death and nervous. Who could blame her, especially after yesterday?

"How many pictures did you purchase, Edward?" Esme asked while scrolling through the phone in her hand.

"I… um," I was suddenly very self-conscious of the fact that Bella was watching me. "I…paid for two."

"Great! Do you know what poses you want to do?" Esme looked back at the photographer and then at us.

I looked at Bella who was pulling at the ends of her hair. I could tell she was trying to look calm and collected but she really looked like a nervous wreck. "I am fine with whatever Bella is comfortable doing. Just standing next to each other is fine."

"But…" Bella looked at me and smiled hesitantly.

For the past two months I had envisioned what kind of poses I could do with Bella, and I would be a damn liar if I said that none of them involved her wrapped in my arms. But looking at her now, she seemed so scared to even stand next to me, let alone be wrapped in my arms. I guess a small portion of me felt the sting of rejection, but if I had been in her shoes and nearly been mauled by a fan yesterday, I probably would have been hesitant, too.

I shrugged my shoulders and tried to seem relaxed. "I just want you to be comfortable."

Bella watched me, blinking slowly, while Esme told us to get ready. I followed her to the horrible blue backdrop they were using and tried to give Bella a reassuring smile.

The first picture I stood there, my hands shoved in my pockets and smiled at the camera while Bella stood next to me. The two of us leaned into each other, and it took every damn ounce of restraint I had not to turn my head and smell her hair. Instead, I kept that smile plastered on my face and blinked when the camera flashed.

"I hope I didn't blink," Bella mumbled while looking at the floor. "I always do that."

"Really?" I smiled. It was nice to see her being semi-relaxed. "I do, too."

"When we did the promotional shots for the last movie, it ended up taking an hour longer because I kept blinking. We had to redo a lot of the shots. I really am an idiot," she said as she gave me a faint smile that made my legs go weak.

I had heard Bella say that she never understood why people found her attractive or why people were so interested in her more times than I could count. Standing there, watching her smile awkwardly, I couldn't help but feel like she had to be utterly blind. She was beautiful, maybe not in the standard Hollywood sort of way, but it was there. You could look in her eyes and see that there was _something_ more about her, _something_ that she normally kept hidden, and I had a very strong desire to see what that _something_ was.

"I don't think you see yourself clearly," I whispered before I could stop myself. When her eyes lifted to mine, I started to apologize, until I saw that _something _staring back at me.

"Last picture," Esme said from across the room and I nodded after Bella shook her head and looked back at her manager and photographer.

"You don't want two pictures of the same pose, do you?" she asked me quietly. "We could…I mean…do you want me to hold on to you?"

"Would you mind?" I asked my own question instead of answering hers. Mentally I was screaming yes but I fought back the screaming idiot inside of me and just smiled.

"No, it would be ok," she gave me another awkward smile and put her arm around my back and held onto my waist.

I immediately felt my stomach jump up in my throat while I internally cursed at myself for wearing this damn jacket. If I hadn't, only the thin cotton of my shirt would be between her arm and my back.

As casually as I could, I let my arm drape around her small shoulders. I wanted to pull her to me, to tuck her into my chest and tell her that everything would be okay. I wanted to kiss the top of her head and rub small, soothing circles on her back and tell her she didn't have to be afraid of me. I wanted to, but I didn't. Instead, when the camera went off, I was looking down at Bella and she was looking awkwardly at the floor.

"Edward, I am so glad you got to come, and really, I am so sorry about your nose," Esme walked over to us and smiled.

I looked at her, slowly and reluctantly letting go of Bella's shoulder. "Thank you. It was very nice to meet you, and thank you for inviting us backstage last night."

Bella's head shot up and she gave a questioning look before looking back at Esme. "I thought Alice…"

"Alice really enjoyed you boys being there," Esme said loudly, cutting Bella off. I looked between the two of them while they did that silent communication thing and tried to figure out what was happening. Esme's eyes widened as she looked at Bella, as if telling her to shut up. She looked back at me and smiled. "I hope you had fun."

"I did," I nodded and turned to Bella. "It was very nice to meet you. Good luck with…everything."

"Thank you," she nodded and I shuffled slowly to the door.

I wanted to stay there and beg her to go back to Washington with me. I could mentally picture all of the word vomit that would come from my mouth, promises of not being recognized, breakfast in bed, hell, I would even buy her a lifetime supply of Hot Pockets if that would help. But instead, I kept my mouth shut and tried to be okay with the fact that I had at least gotten to meet her.

"Edward," I heard her call me and I stopped and turned back. I wanted to sprint back over to her, get down on my knees and tell her that every wish she ever had would be granted if she would just give me a chance. But, I didn't; again, I held back the screaming idiot inside of me.

She walked up to me, leaving a bemused Esme standing behind her. She approached me and I could feel my heart pounding against my chest, and I wouldn't have been surprised if you could have actually seen it.

"I just wanted to say thank you again," she muttered and looked down at her feet while her hands immediately went into her hair. "That question you asked yesterday was…well, it meant a lot to me."

She looked up at me and again I saw that _something_ in her eyes again. She reached out and grabbed my arm and gave me a quick smile before turning and walking back over to Esme.

I was…dazed. I wanted to pull her back over to me and try to figure out what that look in her eyes was. I wanted to talk to her in a setting that wasn't crazy and erratic. I wanted to show her I wasn't some crazy-ass fan that would end up selling my conversation with her to the tabloids. I watched her for another second before I decided that the best thing I could do was walk away.

So I did. I walked back out into the hallway and it was like my mind was floating above me, watching as my body walked towards Jasper and Emmett. I could hear and see everything, but my mind was detached from what was actually happening.

I muttered something to Jasper and Emmett and let them lead me to another line. I tried to explain what had happened, explain how I felt or the _something_ that I saw in her eyes but I couldn't. I just stood there mumbling and probably making a huge idiot of myself.

"Are you stoned?" Emmett asked while watching me, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"You know I don't do that, Emmett," I sighed and rubbed my forehead.

"Well you are on something because you are way too fucking calm," he leaned down and looked me in the eye, getting less than an inch from my face. "What did you take?"

I pushed his face away from me and shook my head. "Gees, Emmett, personal space much?"

"Hiding something much?" He pushed my hand away from him.

"Emmett, leave him alone," Jasper sighed and looked back at me. "Seriously though, did you take something?"

I looked at both of them and knew I didn't stand a chance of lying. They would catch it, so I just gave in. "I asked Carmen for a few Valiums before we left. I took one."

"Well at least you asked Carmen," Emmett muttered and kept looking at me.

I ignored him, and even though Jasper was trying to be encouraging and asking me about what happened with Bella, I just didn't want to talk about it. I wanted to go somewhere quiet and sit and think about it by myself. Was I losing my mind? I mean, there was something there, I swear on it. Plus, Bella had come back and thanked me again. Maybe I was reading too much into this.

Emmett was being a complete asshole, laughing obnoxiously at his pictures but not showing either one of us what they were. I didn't like it, and having known Emmett my whole life, I knew it couldn't be good.

My pictures were…perfect. The first one, even though we technically weren't touching, was still a good one. She had a semi-relaxed smile on her face and I didn't look like a complete idiot, even if I did have two black eyes. The second one was my favorite, not only because we were touching, but we just looked right together. Because my head was turned down you couldn't really see my black eyes, and I decided this one was getting framed.

We got in line to have our pictures autographed, and as we slowly moved forward I couldn't stop watching Bella. How is it possible for one person to be so undeniably perfect? I passed through the line, letting Jasper introduce me to Rosalie and watched as they joked around about some movie she was doing. Alice was signing things a mile a minute, and even though the entire scene was hectic, she seemed so laid back and totally fine with everything buzzing around her.

"Edward!" She said happily after finally breaking her gaze from Jasper. "How is your nose?"

"Oh, I will be fine," I tried to smile and nod. She kept talking, and even though I didn't want to be rude, I continued down the table to Bella, leaving Jasper to talk to Alice.

"How did the pictures turn out?" she asked quietly when I was in front of her.

"Good," I nodded and handed her the one of our first pose. She smiled and signed it, adding her little xx under her signature.

"Do you want me to sign the second one? I know we're only supposed to do one, but I wouldn't mind," she looked up at me and I almost fell over backwards. Bella Swan was willing to break the rules for me. I wanted to tell her no because I wanted to have the picture framed, but I knew that would have made me sound like a complete stalker.

"I would hate for you to get in trouble, but you can see it if you want," I handed her the picture and knew I was a lame-ass. There was no way Bella would ever get in trouble. She could probably overturn the table and leave and people would just excuse it as anxiety.

"That's a good picture," she smiled and handed it back to me. I took it, and even though there were hundreds of people around us, I could have sworn she was staring at me. It could have been seconds or hours, but the two of us just looked at each other.

My moment of perfection was interrupted by a familiar voice yelling obscene cuss words, and Bella and I looked up to see both Rosalie and Emmett missing, and Jasper and Alice running into a room behind the table. I followed, and even though I knew a security guard was right on my ass, I went in behind Bella.

"Rosalie, what did you do?" Alice asked as the rest of us took in the sight before us. Emmett was laying on his back, blood pouring out of his nose while Rosalie stood over him looking completely furious.

"Emmett, what did you do?" Jasper yelled and ignored the security guards trying to pull us out of the room.

"What happened?" Esme ran into the room and looked around, completely worried. She saw Jasper and told the security guards that it was fine and they roughly released us. "Rosalie, you hit a fan?!"

"He is a pig!" she said in a shrill yell that made all of us wince.

Jasper and I both groaned and I could totally see this ending with us getting arrested. I really hoped no one had told Bella that the asshole lying on the floor was my brother, because I was willing to act like he was just some random guy we didn't really know.

"All I did was ask her to sign a picture," Emmett groaned and picked himself up off the floor. Even though he had just gotten his ass kicked by a girl, he was still smiling like a big oaf.

Rosalie shoved the picture at Esme, who looked at it for a second and then went bright red. Alice took it from her and her and Jasper both gasped when they saw it. Alice started laughing hysterically, but Jasper pulled the picture from her hands and shook his head.

"Hey! Don't bend that!" Emmett yelled and took the picture back from him.

"What is it?" Bella asked nervously and looked at Esme, then back to Rosalie, who was standing there with her arms crossed across her chest and glaring at Emmett.

"He has a boner!" Alice managed to say between her giggles and I shook my head slowly. My brother was a pig.

"I can't help it!" Emmett protested and looked at Rosalie, "It isn't my fault you are so fucking hot!"

She took a step forward, I assumed to hit Emmett again, but Esme stopped her. "Rosalie, maybe you should leave. All three of you need to go back to the autograph session. We have fans waiting." Rosalie continued to glare at Emmett, even as Alice was pulling her back out the doors and Bella followed behind them.

"You jackass!" I yelled and punched Emmett's arm. "You asked her to sign that picture, didn't you?"

"Well yeah," he answered me like it was a no brainer and dabbed his nose with his shirt sleeve.

I looked at Jasper and could immediately tell how mad he was. He glared at Emmett for a few seconds before shaking his head and following the girls back outside.

"Emmett, I guess… I mean, do I need to call the police? You have a right to press charges," Esme looked completely worried, and more than a little pissed off.

"Hell no!" he yelled and shook his head. "That was fucking hot."

Again, my brother was a fucking idiot.

** ** **

**A/N**

**JFI:** Oh Edward, you really did seem to redeem yourself. I'm a little proud that you didn't make an ass of yourself, unlike your brother. *glares at Emmett* Hope you guys have a fantastic New Moon experience and a blessed Thanksgiving! What are you guys thankful for? I am thankful that New Moon came out on my birthday and that LMW and Hammondgirl were able to come and help celebrate! I am thankful for the Vanity Fair outtakes. I am thankful for all of the great people who review, read and recommend this story. And I am very thankful for the fuckawesomeness that is Stalkmett, Stalkward, and Stalksper! Y'all don't forget to bid in the auction!!

**LMW:** I feel like a sap for saying this every time but you all literally rock my world! The reviews make me teary and I enjoy all the laughs on Twitter. Thank you so, so much for your love and support. You make the fandom so awesome.

The fandom gives back auction starts tomorrow, and whether you bid on us or someone else, remember that your contributions will help make a difference in someone's life. Thank you for being so selfless with your money and your talents. I'm in complete awe.

I'll be making a trip to the land of Texas so I'll be gone for about a week! Check in on ya when I get back!


	15. A Stalker's Guide: Midnight Showing

**Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight, but SilverTwi owns this chapter. She bought it. Legit.**

**--This is an outtake that takes place a few years before where we are in the current story.--**

[ Jasper ]

I was brushing my teeth, leaned over the sink, when I got the message.

_Be outside in half an hour, fool._

I shook my head. Sometimes Emmett could be such a twelve-year-old. I spit into the sink and rinsed my mouth. Ann walked into the bathroom and gave me a flirtatious smile. That could only mean one thing.

Oh, God, not tonight.

I mean, I know it's sad that I don't want to have sex with my girlfriend. But it wasn't that I didn't want to _ever_—I just didn't want to _tonight_. We had plans.

And by "we" I meant me, Emmett, and Edward. The second _Carlisle's Angels_ movie, _Used Sun_, was being released tonight, and I had scored us three tickets from the radio station for the midnight showing. Realistically, I could have told Ann it was for work that I needed to be there, and even though she would have complained, she'd have let me go. But I didn't want her to go. She enjoyed the first movie, but not in the way that the three of us guys did.

Alice Brandon had come in and taken over my entire world with her first second on the big screen. I couldn't tell you what it was about her, but the moment she walked on, my heart was no longer mine. It belonged to her.

I'll admit that it sounded creepy and intense but I couldn't help it. Something inside me told me Alice Brandon was the girl for me. And ever since last year when that movie came out, I had been focused on nothing else but her. Lucky for me, Emmett and Edward were into the movie as well and we saw it so many times I think we lost count.

"Coming to bed, honey?" Ann asked, jarring me from my thoughts.

I nodded, stuffing my toothbrush back into the palm tree toothbrush holder. The beach theme she had chosen for the room almost made me nauseous, with the blue and yellow paint on the walls. But what could I do—I wanted to please my girl. It was the least I could do for mentally cheating on her with Alice Brandon.

We walked into the bedroom and I pulled off my t-shirt, my undershirt still clinging to me. I had already changed into my pajama pants but let my mind wander. I had packed a change of clothes in a duffle bag, sticking it in the bed of my truck. I prayed it didn't rain because I wasn't sure if that bag was waterproof or not.

I slipped on some socks before crawling under the covers. Ann snuggled up next to me and I closed my eyes, faking a yawn. "Man, I am so tired tonight," I started.

I could picture her lower lip jutting out in a pout. Any second now she would take on that whining tone.

"Jasper," she moaned.

I knew it. I just fucking knew it. I opened one of my eyes and low and behold, the lip was out and trembling. I slung my arm around her body and tugged her close, placing a kiss on her forehead. "What, baby?" I whispered.

"Do you still love me?" she asked meekly.

I looked down at her, shocked. "Why are you asking me that?"

"Well, it's just, you've been 'tired' a lot lately," she said, making the quotation mark sign with her fingers. "I wonder if maybe you're tired of me or something…that's all."

"Things have just been stressful at the office. I think there is a position opening up that would be good for me," she frowned at me, "for us," I corrected, "and I want to put in extra hours so they know that I'm serious about all this. It's not you, baby, trust me."

She rolled her eyes. "It's not you, it's me," she mocked. "Forget I said anything," she said, turning away from me and tugging the blanket tight around her body.

I felt so guilty, but secretly rejoiced in the fact that she was mad at me—now I wouldn't have to worry about getting out of her grasp once the guys showed up. She huffed dramatically and I leaned over, turning the lamp off and lying back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Inside, my stomach was full of butterflies. We'd seen a few trailers and even some promotional stills, but tonight was the big night. My radio station had even gotten to do a phone interview with Carlisle Facchini, the man who played Carlisle. I wasn't allowed to ask questions, but I did sit in on the call and was very impressed with his demeanor and personality.

I laid there for a while, unsure of how long it had been, when I heard something hit the side of the wall. Ann stirred slightly, almost asleep. I leaned over and kissed her cheek, lulling her back to sleep. She sighed and tucked the blanket closer to her.

I heard the noise again. I sat up, wiping my hand across my face. My eyes had adjusted to the darkness in the room as I slid on my glasses and crept towards the window. The cold night air chilled the glass and I jumped when my skin made contact.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes as I looked out the window. Edward was standing there playing with his Blackberry while Emmett was tossing something up in the air, trying to reach me.

I opened the window and stuck my head out. "What the fuck?" I hissed.

Emmett was all smiles when he saw me. "C'mon down, man! It's _Angels_ time!"

I shook my head. "Shut up—you're gonna wake Ann up."

Emmett chucked whatever he had in his hand and it slapped me across the face. I glared.

"A Pine cone? Really?"

"Just get down here already! I'm hungry!"

I ducked back inside and looked over at the sleeping form in my bed. I said a silent prayer that she wouldn't wake up in the night and find me missing. I grabbed my cell phone and keys. I leaned over to the window.

"Edward, catch my phone, willya?"

He nodded and I kissed it before tossing it down towards the ground. Edward caught it and my breath relaxed.

"Alright, I'm coming down. But you fuckers better not let me fall."

** ** **

[Emmett]

"What Jasper? No pearl snap jammies?" I asked as he pushed the window the rest of the way open. He flipped me off and I smiled. I was willing to bet that at some point in his life, Jasper had worn pajamas that had the Lone Ranger on them.

I threw the last Pine cone I had in my hand behind me and watched as Jasper tried to crawl out of the window above us. That asshole had long-ass legs, but he wasn't near as stealthy as I thought he would be. His knee hit the side of the window frame and I couldn't help but laugh as Jasper tried to keep from screaming.

"Emmett, shut the fuck up!" he whispered harshly and I just snorted. This whole situation was stupid. Why couldn't Jasper just tell Ann that he didn't want her to go? Why couldn't Ann be less of a bitch and see that she wasn't wanted? These games were ridiculous. But I did love the fact that I was getting use of my ski mask and black cargo pants. I looked like a certified stalker dressed in head to toe black and it was awesome.

"Jasper!" Edward whispered excitedly as he finally made his way out of the window and onto the ledge. He looked back down at us while balancing his weight on the window sill and holding onto a tree branch. "Alice just updated her Twitter!"

I swear for a second I really thought Jasper was going to jump off of that ledge and risk breaking a leg just to get his phone back and see what Alice had said. He quietly shut the window and smiled.

"What did she say?" he asked excitedly.

"She said…"

"Does it matter?" I interrupted Edward and shook my head. "Hurry up and get down here and you can read it yourself!"

"Like you wouldn't be all over that if Rosalie had said something!" Edward slapped the back of my head and I in turn pushed his arm. When he went flying across the lawn, I smiled smugly.

"How do I get into the tree?" Jasper asked warily and I looked up to see him looking around at the branches next to him.

"Aren't you from Texas? Didn't you country bumpkin fuckers climb trees?" I asked and ignored the look Jasper threw at me.

"I climbed trees from the ground up, you asshole!" he spat at me and I shrugged. Obviously out of the three of us, I was the one with the most experience of sneaking out of houses. Jasper took a deep breath and jumped from the ledge of the window and onto one of the branches of the tree like a fucking idiot.

The branch made a small snapping noise and Edward yelped. Jasper's eyes went from excitement to fear and as he hung onto the branch above him, he started half-yelling and half-whispering for us to help him. He turned around in an effort to get back to the window, but the branch made another cracking noise and he stopped.

"Emmett, do something!" Edward pushed me forward.

I started to climb up the tree and I hadn't even made it to the first level when the branch Jasper had been standing on snapped and fell with a muted thud to the ground. I looked up to see Jasper's legs flailing around as he held onto the branch above him.

"Emmett I swear to God you had better move your fat ass!" he yelled in a loud whisper. I wanted to tell Jasper that he really shouldn't be calling me names, especially when I was the one who would be rescuing his ass, but decided that it wasn't worth it. I did move fractionally slower, though.

Edward moved the branch that had fallen, just in case Jasper did actually fall; at least that way we wouldn't have to worry about him getting impaled or anything. I made my way through the branches and a few seconds later I was on the same level as Jasper. He had swung himself forward and had his legs wrapped around one of the branches. I could have sworn I heard him crying.

"What do I do?!?" he asked frantically when he saw me.

"Just hold on," I said sarcastically and made my way closer to where he was. When I was close enough, I grabbed his arm. "Okay, let go and grab my hand."

"Let go?!" he glared at me.

"Dude, I have your arm, just let go and grab my hand."

"Emmett, I swear to God if you drop me I will kill you!" he muttered and let go of the branch a few times before grabbing it again, like he didn't trust the grip his other hand had. He leaned his head back to look at me and I just smiled. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them again and let go of the branch. I held on tightly to his arm even though I didn't really need to and he grabbed my hand.

"Okay, let your legs go," I muttered as he let his other hand go and grabbed my hand.

Jasper was about to say something but a bright flash went off and both of us were left blinking and seeing white dots in front of our eyes.

"What the fuck was that?" I asked loudly and Jasper hushed me. I accidentally let go of one of his hands to rub my eyes and he started freaking out. I quickly grabbed his hand again and shook my head as the dots disappeared.

"Sorry," Edward said meekly from below us. "I just thought it would make a funny picture." I swear to God, Edward was the dumbest smart guy I knew. Jasper and I both glared at him and he only shrugged.

"Jasper, let your legs go," I muttered again and he nodded. I waited a few seconds and nothing happened. "Jasper, let go, I've got you."

"I did let go!" he whispered again. "My pants are caught on the branch!"

Oh Jesus, could things not just go according to plan? Why couldn't he just use the front door? Who cared if the alarm beeped when he went in and out? Disable that fucker for one night and be done with it! No, that wasn't good enough for Jasper! Instead we had to have this huge covert operation that was going to hell in a hand basket! I shook my head and ground my teeth together. Desperate times were going to call for desperate measures.

"Dude, are you wearing underwear?" I asked with a sigh.

"What?!" he asked incredulously.

"You are going to have to ditch the pants, and I need to know if you're free balling," I explain to him logically. "If you are, I just need to know so I can look away."

Even in the dark I could tell that Jasper's face was turning red.

"Yes, Emmett, I have on underwear!" he growled and I nodded. Without warning I yanked on his arms and even though Jasper complained that I was going to rip his arms off, his legs finally came free of his pajama pants and we both fell backwards into the base of the branches.

I pushed Jasper off me and started making my way back down the tree. I had had enough of this bullshit. When I didn't hear anything moving above me, I looked up to make sure Jasper wasn't sitting there pouting, and when I saw an ass covered in whitey tighties, I couldn't help but laugh hysterically.

"Shut up, Emmett," Jasper spat at me. I just shook my head and continued climbing down the tree.

Jasper 'I'm a chill ass mother fucker' Whitlock was wearing whitey tighties! My stomach hurt from holding in laughter and when I jumped back onto the ground, I saw Edward was smirking, too.

"Drafty?" Edward smiled as Jasper looked around at both of us.

"It's laundry day, okay?" he sighed and stalked towards his truck. I couldn't hold it in anymore. I busted out laughing and Edward joined in. Jasper ignored us and pulled on his clothes that he had hidden in the truck bed.

"Can we go now?" he asked dryly after shoving his boots on.

"What about those?" Edward smiled and pointed to the pajama pants that were now blowing around like a flag.

"Fuck 'em," Jasper muttered and took his phone back from Edward. He looked at the screen for a second, obviously checking Alice's Twitter, and then sighed.

"Anything good?" I asked and pulled the ski mask off of my head.

"She just said she hopes we enjoy the movie." He put the phone in his back pocket and stared at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Why the hell are you wearing all black?" he asked and looked back at Edward who was shrugging.

"This is what I call being stealth. Unlike your ass that just left a big fucking clue that you snuck out," I pointed above us at his pajama pants. Jasper and Edward started debating whether we should try to get his pants out of the tree or not, and I ignored them and pulled my hoodie off.

I watched with mild amusement as the two of them used the branch Jasper had broken to pull his pants down from the tree. They were torn to shreds by the time they got them down. Jasper was grumbling to himself when he stopped and looked at me.

"Please tell me you are not wearing that, Emmett," Jasper groaned.

"What the fuck is wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"I tried to tell him not to," Edward sighed, and I glared at him.

I looked down at my shirt and shrugged. There was absolutely no reason why I shouldn't be wearing a t-shirt that said "Oh Hale Yes!" to the midnight showing of a _CA_ movie.

"Where the hell did you even find a shirt like that to fit you?" Jasper asked.

"Café Press, bitch," I shrugged and pulled the keys out of my pocket. "You can order all sorts of shit from that site. You can even personalize boxers."

"You would," Jasper muttered and followed Edward and me back to my car.

I stopped and turned around and looked at him. "Well I am sure you can personalize whitey tighties, too, Jasper." He glared at me and I just smiled. "Get your ass in the car." He could pretend to be mad, but I saw that stupid smirk of his as he got into the car.

Operation _CA_: _Used Sun_ was officially a go.

** ** **

[Edward]

I watched in awe as my brother carried enough snacks to feed a small country. He slid between Jasper and me and started divvying up the goods. He threw a box of Milk Duds at me and I smiled.

"How are we going to sneak these in?" I asked as I opened the box and popped a few in my mouth.

Emmett looked at me like I was speaking some foreign language and shook his head. "These will be gone by the time we get to go in."

I looked doubtfully at the massive amounts of food he had in his arms, but after he shoved a whole Snickers bar in his mouth, I knew he wasn't kidding.

"So, if you got us free tickets, why couldn't we go in early?" Emmett asked Jasper, his mouth still full of food. We both looked at him with complete disgust.

"Because, Emmett, there are rules…" Jasper started and Emmett interrupted him.

"Rules were made to be broken."

Jasper ignored him and kept going. "I am not going to risk getting thrown out of a theater and possibly losing my job just so you can sit down a few hours ahead of everyone else."

"We better get a good seat. That's all I'm sayin'," Emmett shrugged and looked at the two people standing in front of us.

I could lie and say I wasn't upset that we weren't first in line, but anyone who remotely knew me would know I was lying. As long as we were top ten I would be fine; third in line really wasn't so bad.

"Hey Jasper," a female called, and for a split second I was scared to death that Ann had showed up. Then I realized that she would have been screaming and turned to find Maria and Lucy walking towards us.

"Hey ladies," Jasper smiled as he gave both of them a quick hug.

Maria and Lucy worked with Jasper at the radio station. Lucy freaked me out-- she was always giving Jasper these perverted looks, but Maria was a nice girl. I had thought about asking her out a time or two but never did. She wasn't Bella after all.

"Where is Ann?" Lucy asked while giving Jasper the 'fuck me' stare.

"You mean Debbie Downer? We left her ass at home," Emmett answered for him, and Jasper punched his arm. "What, dude? She's a drag!"

"That is my girlfriend, asshole," Jasper glared at him, but Emmett only shrugged.

The girls standing in front of us laughed and although Jasper and Emmett couldn't hear them over their arguing, I did. I smiled hesitantly and the one closest to me smiled back.

"I'm sorry," she said and shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh no, don't worry about it," I smiled and looked back at the two idiots still arguing behind me. "This happens a lot, actually. I'm Edward." I sighed and held out my hand.

"Kat," she smiled and shook my hand.

I opened my mouth to tell her that it was nice to meet her but I got shoved out of the way by Emmett who was now meowing at the poor girl. She didn't look impressed with the fact that he was acting like a four year-old and that made me extremely happy.

"So you're _CA_ fans?" Kat asked me as Emmett pouted.

"Oh, yeah, big fans. I actually have a website dedicated to the series."

"Which one?" she asked with what seemed like real interest.

"Fallen Angels," I said and her eyes got big with excitement. "Do you know it?"

"I love that site!" she gushed and the two of us instantly got into a discussion about the site. I figured she was a pretty cool chick until she mentioned that she visited the "Once You Go Black (You Never Go Back)" site that was all about Jacob and Bella being a couple.

"Please tell me you aren't a Jacob fan," I sighed and looked at her.

"I think he is good in the role, but outside of that I think he is kind of weird," she shrugged and I breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm really a Carlisle fan."

"Carlisle?" Emmett asked loudly and then laughed. "Who the hell is ever a Carlisle fan?"

Kat glared at him for a second. "I happen to be Team Carlisle, and have been since he was in _Don't Ever Wait_ back in the nineties."

"Carlisle was in _Don't Ever Wait_?" Emmett asked and looked like he was trying to remember what role he had played. "Oh my God! Carlisle was Matt Decker! I fucking loved Matt Decker!"

And for the next hour, the five of us sat there and talked about all things _CA_. When we were finally ushered inside, Emmett claimed his seat in the middle of the row we were sitting in and then excused himself to go get snacks. I honestly didn't know how he could keep eating; he must have been like a camel that stored food instead of water.

Nearly thirty minutes later he came strolling back into the theater which was now packed with people. His arms were full of two massive buckets of popcorn and he had a package of Gummy Bears tucked between his chin and neck.

"Gees, Emmett, you didn't have to get all of this for us," I said, and helped him by taking one of the buckets. I smiled when I saw that it was an actual plastic bucket that had the _CA_ logo on it.

"What do you mean for 'us'?" He fell back into his seat and immediately shoved a handful of popcorn in his mouth. "These are both mine. If you want popcorn, go stand in line yourself." He took the popcorn bucket back from me and held it between his knees.

"Thanks douche," Jasper muttered and then turned to me. "Do you want popcorn, Edward?"

I sighed and shook my head. "No, I'm fine."

"Well don't pout about it," Emmett nudged my arm and I glared at him. "Okay, fine. The next time they come out with some collector tubs or cups I will get enough for all of us? Okay?"

I nodded half-heartedly. Emmett was about to say something but stopped when a group of girls walked to the front of the theater and were getting everyone's attention. When I looked closer, I saw it was Maria and Lucy.

"I'm gonna go help them," Jasper muttered and made his way to the front. Emmett gave him a suspicious look and shoved another handful of popcorn in his mouth.

"Hey guys!" Lucy waved when people started clapping. "I'm Lucy and this is Maria and Jasper. We are with KAOS 89.3 and we're going to have a little contest to give away some goodies until the movie starts!"

"No way!" Emmett yelled and looked at Jasper. "Thanks for the info, jackass!"

Jasper shook his head at him but otherwise ignored his outburst. Maria handed him a piece of paper and Jasper smiled. "Okay, guys, who here has a _CA_ series book on them?" he yelled and the entire theater erupted in chatter.

"I do!" a young girl screamed and held up a book.

"Bring it down here," Jasper smiled and we all watched as she ran down the steps to reach him. Maria dug through a box and handed the girl a CD once Jasper verified that it was in fact a _CA_ book.

"Who the hell brings a book to a movie?" Emmett asked and leaned back in his seat.

The game continued and it amazed me to see how much shit these people brought with them. One girl had the first _CA_ movie on her iTouch; another guy had an Alice Brandon as a screen saver on his phone. Jasper glared at him as he took his prize and walked away.

"Okay, last one," Jasper yelled and the theater got quiet. He leaned over Maria's shoulder and shook his head.

"If you have on a piece of Rosalie Hale flair, come on down here!" Maria said loudly and in an instant Emmett was out of his seat.

I yelled from surprise as popcorn went flying and groaned in pain when Emmett's leg collided with my stomach as he tried to crawl over me. The people sitting next to us weren't getting out of his way fast enough so he crawled over the seats in front of him and basically trampled a little girl.

Out of breath, he ran up to Jasper and was pointing at his shirt. "Pay up!"

"Oh Hale yes!" Lucy yelled and smiled while Jasper handed him a poster. "Congratulations, Emmett."

He unrolled it quickly and then frowned. "Why the fuck would I want a Jacob Black poster? I want something else."

"That's all we have left," Jasper shook his head and showed Emmett the empty box.

"Well fuck that," Emmett said and turned back to everyone else in the theater. "Does anyone want this piece of shit?" Jasper punched his arm, but that didn't faze Emmett. He tossed the poster to someone and made his way back to his seat. We ignored him and he pouted until the movie started.

When the lights dimmed, the entire place erupted in cheers and I smiled. I had been waiting an entire year for this. I had abstained from watching any of the clips that they had released and was so excited that this movie would be a total surprise for me.

I sat through the credits, rolling my eyes at some cheesy vampire story and wished they would just get to it. Who gave a shit about vampires anyway! When the Peak Productions logo came on screen, the screaming started again and I started shushing people. This was it! Finally, FINALLY, the _CA_ movie _Used Sun_ was here.

For two hours I was entranced by Bella's performance, and when the movie ended, I knew two things. One, I would be here for the first available showing they had later today. And two, that the next six months needed to fly by. I needed the next _CA_ movie now!

** ** **

[ Jasper ]

I secretly laughed when I saw Emmett's face when he realized I was helping out with the trivia contest. I would have told him earlier in the night if he hadn't been such a jackass about my choice of underwear; serves him right for almost ruining the whole night with his loud-ass voice and that hideous Rosalie Hale t-shirt. I loved the guy like a brother, but sometimes he was two French fries short of a Happy Meal.

The movie was better than anything I could have dreamed it would be. The first _CA_ movie was great, don't get me wrong. It had its moments and cool special effects—but Peak Productions had really upped the budget with this film, getting a popular director and some new costume designers. As I sat there in the dark, my eyes glazed over in excitement. Alice Brandon was terrific. If people thought she was okay in the first movie, then they were definitely blown away in the second. The first one didn't give her as many lines as the other two girls, but this time she was a shining light. And I couldn't have been happier.

Of course, Edward was just as in awe as I was and Emmett kept muttering curses and munching on his food. Every time Rosalie Hale talked or did something Emmett found exciting, he would give a "Hale Yes!" cheer. At first people laughed at him, but halfway through the movie I thought he was going to get kicked out.

"Knock that shit out," I whispered to him, elbowing him in the side. He grunted and threw a gummy bear at me. It stuck to my face for a second and I thought I was going to die. I pulled it off and chucked it into his popcorn. "You're sick."

A girl turned around and glared at us. I pointed at Emmett and she hissed at him. I had never seen Emmett sit up so straight in my life and couldn't help but snort.

Luckily the rest of the movie passed without incident. As we were walking out I rolled my eyes as Emmett dumped all his trash in the bin. Edward and I were talking about parts of the movie we liked and didn't while Emmett lagged behind doing God-knows what.

"When the girls jumped off that cliff—man that was really great!" Edward said excitedly.

I nodded. "Totally--I even liked the scenes on the motorcycles. What a great way to make an entrance!"

We were both laughing at some line in the movie when I heard it. I hung my head and Edward cursed. Not again.

We turned to find Emmett holding onto the wall trying to act like nothing was happening. Edward and I rushed over to him.

"And what the hell are you doing, Emmett?!" I asked.

"What does it look like? I want this poster. I was going to exchange it for that Jacob Black one I won in the contest that my "best friend" forgot to tell me he was hosting."

"You gave that one away," Edward said, always one to point out details.

He smiled. "Oh, I know that. But when the movie was over I took it from under the girls' seat before she could notice. Don't worry, I got this."

I shook my head. "Don't do this. Do not draw attention to us. If Ann saw this on the news—"

"Oh, right, I forgot. We're hiding from your douchette girlfriend because she's got your balls wrapped so tightly in her talons that you can't even breathe without her permission. My bad, Jasper."

I flicked him off and started walking away. It was bad enough that I was feeling pressure from Ann—I didn't need it from Emmett, too. Edward caught up with me and made some crack about Emmett that made me smile and we walked to the car. Emmett jingled his keys, body-checking me with his shoulder.

"C'mon, dude, lighten up." He shook his poster at me and I narrowed my eyes.

"Did you really switch that one?"

He smiled, nodding. "I'm stealth like a puma. This one even has all the ladies on it. I'm gonna hang this up on my ceiling so I can wake up with the Angels staring down at me."

I shook my head as I climbed into the car. That was about as much of an apology was I was going to get, so I took it for what it was worth. We talked on the way home about how much we enjoyed the movie and Edward tried to plan a time we could all go see it together again, claiming opening night was so loud we didn't get all the dialogue.

As Emmett pulled up near my house he wagged his eyebrows at me. "You goin' back up that tree, Jasper-Jammie?"

I groaned. "Hell no, I'm going through the front door." I hopped out and waved goodbye, my heart starting to beat fast as I neared the door. I took out my key and put it in, opening the door quickly and sliding inside the house. I shut the door as the small, yet high-pitched beep went off from the security alarm. I cursed it—another one of Ann's needs to feel safe when I had to work nights.

I crept up the steps slowly, the wood creaking as I hit the top step. I stopped mid-air and held my breath as I pressed forward. I rushed into the bedroom as quietly as I could and threw on some basketball shorts and an undershirt. I crawled under the covers and Ann instinctively turned into me, her foot rubbing on my calf.

"So cold," she muttered.

I kissed the top of her head, thankful I had not been caught. "Shh, it's alright, go back to sleep. I'm here."

She moaned softly, pulling herself closer to my body. "I think you need me to warm you up," she purred as she leaned up and kissed me.

After coming off the high of the second _Carlisle's Angels_ movie, I was too weak and smitten to resist her. I tucked her body closer to mine and our tongues met in a heated kiss. She began to trail her fingers down my chest and in my mind, it wasn't Ann next to me--it was Alice Brandon.

And boy did she look good.

"Oh, Jasper," she whispered as I covered her body with my own, hands searching her soft skin and loving every bump or scar.

I knew this was a bad idea, but I couldn't find the will in me to stop. It felt dangerously right. If only Alice was truly here with me.

"I love you, Alice," I whispered tenderly in my head.

Or so I thought.

_Fuck, I really hoped I didn't just say that out loud._

** ** **

**JFI**: Thanks to SilverTwi for buying us!! Part two of her purchase will be here before you know it! Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and we will return to our regularly scheduled 'Stalking' soon.

**LMW**: Much, much love to the girl who owns me this go-round, SilverTwi! This was so much fun, and I always wanted to look back at what happened at one of the midnight premieres! I got the idea from fellow reader wytchwmn75, so big ups to her!

Also, you can now nominate your favorite stories for the Bellies! There is a link posted on JFI's profile, check it out!


	16. The Difference Between Tequila & Whiskey

**Disclaimer: We might not own Twilight, but LMW owns an Edward Cullen action figure and JFI owns a Ron Weasley action figure (and he talks!)**

**** ** ****

"_Lust tastes like tequila and love tastes like whiskey. _

_Love burns for longer and warms you up on the inside _

_and sometimes it makes you do stupid things. _

_Tequila just makes you wasted." – Jackson Rathbone_

** ** **

[ Alice ]

I was in so much trouble. I sighed and pushed myself away from the bed and started pacing around the hotel room, walking back and forth, and kicking miscellaneous clothes out of my way.

This wasn't me. This wasn't what I did. I wasn't the girl that fell head over heels in love someone that I had known for three days. I mean, I didn't even really know him. I stopped in front of the window and sighed. It sure felt like I did.

I picked my guitar up, set it on my lap and slowly started strumming. There was no way that I could know Jasper from only meeting him three days ago and spending less than twelve hours together. But I felt like I had known him so much longer than that. I felt like the two of us were drawn to each other, from the very beginning. From the second my hand touched his in that convenience store, I knew it was well beyond a chance encounter. It was fate…destiny.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and let the melody that I was creating surround me. My mother had always told me that falling in love was scary, and up until now I had no clue what she was even talking about. I had dated but none of them had really been serious. I wasn't looking to fall in love and I wasn't even sure if that's what this was. But I knew that this was filling me with excitement and scaring me to death.

Excitement raced through my body as I thought about him. I was excited about the idea of learning things about him, finding out the small and trivial things that people normally overlooked. I was excited to think about seeing him outside of the crazy setting of a convention or concert. I wondered what he did on a typical Saturday morning. Did he drink coffee? Was he a morning person? Did he sleep on his stomach or on his back?

All of those questions were threatening to be overshadowed by the fear that was basically holding my body hostage. Logically, I didn't know how a relationship would fit into my life right now. I was gone all of the time. I lived out of a suitcase, and had my agent ship me clothes depending on where I was staying. I hadn't been back to my house in over three months and hadn't been back to my parent's house in close to a year. I couldn't even manage a pet. How the hell was I supposed to manage a relationship?

Putting my selfishness aside I thought about Jasper--what would dating me mean to him? Would he be fine with being followed around and having people constantly dissecting our relationship? Could he handle the pressure of living his life in a fishbowl? Dating a celebrity wasn't something that could be taken lightly. If we dated, his entire life would change and I couldn't promise that it would be for the better.

I put my guitar down and walked across the hall to Rosalie's room; without even thinking, I started knocking. When she didn't answer I started knocking again.

"I'm coming!" I heard her yell grumpily. I waited, impatiently, as she unlocked the door. When she opened it I smiled and shrugged my shoulders.

"I need your help."

She blinked a few times but stepped aside and let me in. I tripped over a Frisbee and boxes of board games she had lying in the middle of the floor but caught myself.

"Are you ok?" she asked while yawning. I looked at the clock and groaned when I saw that it was only four in the morning. I kept forgetting that most people didn't keep the same sleep schedule that I did.

"I'm…" I looked at her and tried to figure out what the hell I should say. "I'm in trouble," I finished lamely and shrugged my shoulders.

"Did you get a weird phone call or something? Do I need to call Esme?" she asked quickly while stepping around me and ignoring my attempts to tell her it wasn't that kind of trouble. "We can have security up here in like two minutes…"

"Rosalie!" I said loudly and pulled the phone out of her hand. She finally looked at me and I shook my head. "It isn't trouble like that. I just…"

"What?" She sat back on her bed and looked up at me.

"It's Jasper," I said quietly and sat down next to her. I could feel her watching me, and I knew her well enough to know that she was trying to figure out what to say. Out of the three of us, Rosalie was the one with the most relationship experience. She and Jacob were really the only ones who had been in real relationships that lasted longer than a few months. Besides Jena, who was married, they were my relationship gurus.

"Well what is your heart telling you?" she asked me quietly.

I smiled and shook my head slowly. "To just throw caution to the wind. To let myself go and just figure it out as we go."

"And what is your brain telling you?"

I sighed and looked back at her. "That this is insane. He is a member of the media for God's sake, and a fan on top of that! I mean…we don't date fans! If it was just me then maybe I could consider it, but this would involve you and Bella. What if Bella freaks out? What if…"

"Alice, you can't go around your whole life wondering 'what if,'" Rosalie interrupted me. "Jasper seemed really laid back and semi-normal… his friends seem a little off, but if you end up loving him, then of course we would all be happy for you."

"What would you do?" I asked her plainly.

"I can't answer that, Alice," she shrugged and looked at me. "Could you leave Vancouver tomorrow and look back having no regrets about what happened? If you never talked Jasper again or never took the chance to find out if maybe this is something more, would you be ok with that?"

I knew the answer automatically. "No."

"Then there you go. Call him, go meet for a cup of coffee and see where it goes from there," she smiled and pulled me into a sideways hug. "Just because you have coffee with the guy doesn't mean that you have to marry him."

I knew she was kidding, but even if that was the last possible thing on my mind, I couldn't stop the onslaught of images that filled my mind. A white dress and cake, all of our friends watching us…I shook my head to make the images stop.

"You know that you don't always have to be the person the fans see you as, right?" Rosalie looked at me and I nodded. "It's ok to let yourself be scared, Alice. If you didn't I would be worried."

I left Rosalie's room and started pacing around mine again. I knew from talking to Jasper after the concert that they would be leaving today. I wanted to kick myself for not just asking him to meet me after the photo sessions yesterday, but there were so many people around. It was five in the morning, and I had less than ten hours to figure out what the hell I was going to do.

I waited until seven, then changed clothes and walked down the hall to Esme's room. I knocked quietly on the door and rocked back and forth on my heels as I waited for her to open the door.

"Alice?" she asked quietly when the door opened. "Are you okay?"

I nodded and looked up at her. "Can I talk to you?"

She looked worried for a second and bit her lip. She turned back to look into the room and sighed. "Um…"

"I know Carlisle's here, I actually wanted to talk to both of you," I smiled and shrugged when her eyes got wide. "We've all known for a few months."

Her blushing was adorable. Pretty much all of us knew that she had been "secretly" dating Carlisle for the past year. We let them think they were fooling us because it was just so damn cute. Carlisle appeared behind Esme and I smiled.

"Did you need something kid?" he asked me, acting like nothing was even remotely uncomfortable. Esme's blush finally started to fade and she stepped aside to let me in.

"I'm sorry to bother you guys, but you two are pretty much the parental figures around here and I need some advice." I sat on the couch and looked up at both of them.

"Are you okay?" Carlisle asked and sat down next to me.

I nodded and played with the edge of the couch cushion. "Um, I kind of have a problem," I sighed and looked back at him. "I think I might be in love."

Carlisle smiled but it was Esme that gasped then sat down on my other side and grabbed my hand. "Is it Jasper?" she asked and smiled brightly.

"Jasper?" Carlisle asked, but Esme shushed him.

"Esme, I never… I wouldn't ever plan on something like this happening. I don't even really know him, but it's like I can just feel it!" I pushed away from the couch and started pacing again.

"The heart wants what it wants," Carlisle nodded from the couch and smiled.

"He's a fan," I muttered and dropped my head when I saw Carlisle's smile fall. "And he works for the media." Carlisle looked at Esme, then back at me, probably hoping that one of us would tell him it was a joke. I just shrugged my shoulders and quoted him, "The heart wants what it wants."

"What does Jasper say about all of this?" Esme asked and I shrugged.

"I haven't talked to him. Rosalie said I should call him and try to see him before he leaves."

"I think that sounds reasonable," Esme nodded and looked back at Carlisle who was watching me with a strict look on his face.

"If you're meeting him I want to be there," he said firmly and I laughed.

"Carlisle…" Esme started, but he shook his head.

"No, these girls are like my own kids and if you're going to be meeting up with him alone, well… I want to be there," he said fiercely.

"This isn't exactly a conversation I can have with people around…" I started but Carlisle stopped me.

"I won't hover around you, but I'm not letting you go by yourself. End of story."

I spent another thirty minutes trying to convince Carlisle that Jasper wasn't a threat to me but he wouldn't budge. It was nice that he was so protective of us, especially since we hardly ever saw our own parents, but today it annoyed me.

After I left their room I went back to my own room and called Jena. She gave me the same advice Rosalie had. They all said the same thing--if I couldn't walk away from this weekend without regretting the fact that I hadn't really dealt with this whole Jasper thing, then I needed to talk to him.

So I did it. I took the plunge and called him. The fact that he had a callback tone that was by one of my all time favorite bands only made me more excited. My leg bounced up and down and I silently prayed that it wouldn't go to voice mail.

"Hello?" Jasper's groggy voice answered and I immediately felt bad. I kept waking people up today.

"Hey," I said rather lamely and shook my head the second the word left my mouth. "Hi Jasper, it's um… it's Alice."

"Hey!" he said in a voice that was half awake and still half asleep. I heard him moving around. Then I heard a series of voices in the background telling him to shut up. "Can you… I mean, do you mind holding on for a second?"

"No, that's fine," I smiled and bit my lip as I heard him walking around. I heard a door shut and then he took a deep breath.

"Ok sorry," he said lightly.

"I'm sorry I woke you up," I apologized.

"No it's fine," he laughed, and I couldn't help but smile. "Best wake up call ever, I promise."

My heart started pounding and I couldn't stop the small giggle that left my mouth. I was sure that Jasper felt the same way I did; I mean, all of the signs were there. But that didn't stop the worry of rejection that had been flowing through my body since last night. People could think that I was carefree, that because I was a "celebrity" that I didn't have worries or doubts about myself. But just because people might see me as some sort of sex symbol didn't mean that I didn't have insecurities. I made myself calm down and focus on what I was supposed to be doing.

"Listen, I know you guys are leaving today," I started and swallowed the nervousness that was inching its way up my throat. "I was hoping that maybe we could meet for coffee or something before you left."

He was silent and that made me nervous. I opened my mouth and started back tracking, "I mean… unless you don't want to. I just… I wanted to kind of talk to you about some things…"

"No!" he practically yelled and I had to move the phone away from my ear. "I mean, no, I would really… I mean…" he sighed and it made me smile. "I would love to meet you for coffee, Alice."

As soon as I got off the phone with Jasper I smiled, that same feeling of hope that I had felt the first night I met him was coursing through my body. I sighed and leaned back against the pillows on the bed and just let myself enjoy it.

*** *** ***

I tried to ignore Carlisle and Esme's quiet chatter as I waited, impatiently, for Jasper to arrive. I didn't even want to know what kind of strings she had had to pull to get the owner of the coffee shop to basically shut down for the next three hours, or what kind of threats she had made against its employees if they called the media. All I cared about was that Jasper was fifteen minutes late. I bit my bottom lip and tried to stop the feelings of rejection that were creeping over me. I picked at the lid of my tea and hoped that he hadn't changed his mind.

There was a light knock on the door and I looked up to see Jasper smiling at me. The sight of him even standing there was enough to make my heart start racing, but when the manager let him in and he got closer to me, I about died. He was the same Jasper as before, only this time he had a black eye and a busted up lip.

"What happened?" I jumped out of my chair and looked him over. He was shaking his head, trying to tell me it was nothing, but I knew better. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and looked sideways at Esme and Carlisle who were watching us. "Spill it, Jasper."

He sighed and motioned for me to sit down; I did and he sat next to me. "After yesterday, we went back to the hotel and I kind of lost it."

"Lost it?" I asked.

"I went off on Emmett for being such a perverted and obnoxious assho… jerk," he explained and smiled softly when he tried to skip over the cussword. "I didn't like what he did to Rosalie. And well, we got into an argument and it ended with this," he sighed and gestured to his face.

"Emmett did that?" I asked bluntly and was already angry to the point of finding him and hurting him myself.

"Yeah, but…you should see his face, it looks much worse," he laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm fine, he's fine… we are all fine."

I sighed and leaned back in my chair. I guess that's one positive thing about males, they get into a fist fight and then they are fine; if it was two females fighting it would have been carried out for months.

"So you wanted to talk to me?" he asked quietly and looked down at me.

My heart immediately broke out into a sprint and kept reminding myself to breathe. I knew what I wanted to say, had even practiced before I left, but it was like now I couldn't remember anything.

"Um…" I sighed and looked down at the table and closed my eyes. Why was this so freaking hard? I just had to say it… I had to tell him. A few seconds later I felt his hand wrap around one of mine and looked up to see him smiling at me.

"Hey, it's ok," he said quietly and I couldn't help but nod. There was something about his easy smile and kind eyes that just made me believe him.

"I've never… I don't…" I shook my head and tried to make sense of the thoughts running through my mind. He was watching me, a look of pure concern on his face. I took a deep breath and made myself start over. "Jasper, I feel something with you, something I've never felt with anyone else... and it scares me and makes me excited all at once."

He sat there and smiled while I rambled on and on about the thousands of feelings I had been fighting the past three days. He didn't interrupt me, just sat there and listened to all of it.

"I just knew it… I knew when I first met you. I just knew this was different, that you were different. And this whole weekend I've just enjoyed finally being able to be myself with someone who isn't involved in this series or related to me… and I just… I can be myself with you. I don't have to be this perfect, confidant girl that has everything figured out. I can be a little crazy and unsure and totally myself…" I trailed off and picked at a small hole in my jeans.

"I knew it too," Jasper said quietly.

I looked up at him. "You did?"

He smiled and it made my entire body relax. "Yup."

I let a huge breath of relief leave my mouth and he laughed quietly. "You have no idea how worried I was about this," I shook my head and looked up at him. "Literally all last night I was… freaking out."

"Why?" Jasper asked and frowned.

"I dunno…I mean what if you hated me? Or if you were just using me…"

"Ok, number one, I wouldn't ever hate you or use you. And number two, why would you even think that?" he asked quietly.

I sighed and turned my body so that I was facing him. "I have the same group of friends that I had before all of this started, and I mean… I have new acquaintances, but there is a reason why I only have my one group of friends. It's hard to trust people… to know that they are really with you because they want to be and not because of who or what they think you are."

"Alice, I wouldn't…"

I smiled and cut him off. "I know that now. I mean… you easily could have called the press and told them you were coming here. It just made me nervous because you work for the media, and Edward runs that website…"

"How do you know about that?" Jasper asked and I immediately felt my cheeks blushing from embarrassment. "Alice Brandon, are you a stalker?" he asked sarcastically and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Well," I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. "After I met you, I had Esme find out some things about you…"

Jasper laughed loudly for a second before draping his arm across the back of my chair. "Esme checked me out? Well, I'm glad I passed the test."

"I have no idea how she can find out so much but she gave me this whole little profile of you," I explained as I leaned back in my chair and my back brushed against his arm. "I just had to make sure you weren't like… crazy or anything."

"You don't have to worry about me using you, Alice," Jasper gave my shoulder's a reassuring squeeze and I nodded. "I won't even tell Emmett or Edward about this if you don't want me to."

I frowned and looked up at him, "Jasper... I can't ask you to do that. I mean, I know how important my friends are to me, like my sounding board or something. It's up to you if you tell your friends."

He nodded and smiled. "Ok, it's up to me." I narrowed my eyes, feeling like he was only telling me that to placate me.

But then he started talking about how he couldn't wait to get home and start playing his guitar again and that was it. All of the awkwardness and uncertainty that I had been feeling before was gone. I listened as Jasper talked animatedly about his life back in Washington and couldn't stop the mental images of me being a part of that life that were filling my mind. I could see it, could see us, and that made me extremely hopeful.

Much too soon, Esme was telling me that it was time for us to head to the airport and I looked at Jasper, knowing that the sadness that filled his eyes mirrored my own. Esme drug Carlisle to the back of the shop, giving us privacy, and Jasper and I stood there looking at each other.

"So what do we do now?" I asked him quietly.

He smiled and again it made my entire body relax. He slowly took my hand and laced his fingers through mine. "We do whatever we want."

I sighed; baffled by the fact that Jasper seemed so relaxed and sure of this. I was so insecure and just… unsure of how all of this would work.

"Call me when you get back safely," he whispered and kissed the top of my head.

I nodded and he gave me a reassuring smile after letting go of my hand and heading back to the door. I watched his back for a second and decided that I was done second guessing this. I couldn't do this half way. Jasper deserved better and so did I.

"Jasper," I called and as he started to pull the door open. He turned to look at me, and without even thinking about it I walked up to him, grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down to me. He seemed shocked as my lips met his but they quickly softened and his arms wrapped themselves around my back, pulling me closer to him.

It was the perfect first kiss, and that's when I knew for sure that I was in love with Jasper Whitlock. I was scared and nervous, but like my mom had always said, "Love will scare you to death, but it's worth it." I smiled as Jasper let me go and I knew without a doubt that this would be worth it.

** ** **

[ Jasper ]

What a fucking moron. Really, it was official: Emmett Cullen was a douche bag. I could feel my pulse beating in my ears as we walked back towards our room. We had to start packing at least or we'd never make it out of here on time tomorrow.

As soon as we were inside the room I walked over to my bag, throwing it open and throwing stuff in it, huffing.

"And what the fuck is your problem?" Emmett asked as he lay down on the other bed, using his arms as a pillow behind his head.

"What the fuck is MY problem? What the fuck is YOUR problem! You asked Rosalie to autograph your dick—do you have any idea how degrading that is? Or even embarrassing? Emmett, there are children here!"

"Well they shouldn't be here, then."

My eyes widened and I felt the urge to pound him right in his smug-ass face. "Are you kidding me right now? You're kidding, right?"

He shrugged. "What crawled up your ass, Jasper?"

I threw my hands up in the air. "You do realize that you've disrespected the woman you claim that you want? And her friends? In public! In front of everyone?"

Emmett's eyes narrowed at me. "Is this really about me, or are you upset about something else? Did Alice Brandon reject you or something?" he mocked, rubbing at his eyes like a baby.

That did it. I was only seeing red now. Without a second thought I lunged at him, leaving him no time to prepare. I was on top of him, my arm drawn back and flying forward, connecting to his jaw with a loud crack. Emmett groaned and tried to push me off of him.

In the background I could hear Edward yelling at us but I was too busy pounding Emmett's face to give a shit. This was for all the times he'd said something crude about any girl. This was for him being a douche bag about this whole trip. This was for him being a bitch about not meeting Rosalie because she was off doing a charity function. This was for him asking Rosalie to autograph his erection.

My fist connected with his nose and I heard the sick splitting of bone. My body was propelled backwards off the bed and Emmett was on top of me, punching and growling. I was almost too worn out to fight him off but the asshole needed to learn a lesson.

"Fucking bullshit, Jasper," Emmett snarled as he decked me again, my lip busting in pain and the iron taste of blood filling my mouth.

"Both of you stop it!" Edward yelled, throwing a cell-phone that hit Emmett in the head. He sat back on his heels and rubbed his head, glaring at Edward.

"You're next, fucker," he warned before turning back to me. "And you better sleep with one eye open."

I sat up and ran my hand over my face. Blood was on my fingers when I pulled my hand back and I sighed, letting my head hit the ground again. _Great, just great._

I heard water running in the bathroom and Emmett swearing up and down. Edward handed me a wet wash cloth and I took it, dabbing it across my lower lip. I knew I should feel the slightest bit guilty for attacking Emmett, but I could care less.

The one thing my parents taught me when I was a kid was that you didn't disrespect women. I mean, sure, I'd learned other life lessons along the way, but this was the Golden Rule. And I'd always lived by it, no matter how bitchy a girl was being. I couldn't just sit by and let Emmett get away with that.

I didn't understand him. I knew that shit with Heidi had been bad, but did he really have to go to this level of stupidity?

I winced as I heard the room door slam shut. I turned to Edward and he frowned.

"I'm sure he went to go blow off some steam or something."

"He'd better not be going to talk to the girls. What a douche," I said as I walked towards the bathroom and caught a glance of myself in the mirror. I looked like shit. The skin around my eye was turning a grayish-green and I knew soon it'd be as dark as Edward's was. The only comfort I took was in knowing that Emmett had to look worse. I was fairly sure I'd broken his nose.

I turned the water on and let the room steam up, undressing and letting the water run over me. This whole weekend had been crazy. I let the happy moments come back—meeting Alice in the convenience store, seeing her smile at the interview, watching her play on stage at her concert…I could die a happy man now. Alice was truly one of a kind, and I knew I was starting to sound a lot like Edward, but I was fairly certain that Alice and I would be a great couple. Her enthusiasm and delight in everything was contagious, not to mention the fact that being around her made me want to be the man I was before I got involved with Ann.

After the water turned lukewarm I shut it off and wrapped a towel around me. I went out into the room and found Edward with his laptop on his bed, uploading pictures to his website. He nodded at me as I grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I quickly dressed and grabbed my cell-phone. I looked to Edward.

"What do you want to do for dinner? Order some pizza or something?" I asked.

He nodded. "That's fine. You going out?"

I shrugged. "Gonna walk down to the convenience store and grab some aspirin for this headache. You want anything?"

He shook his head and I waved as I walked out and down towards the parking lot. There were young girls with their parents walking around, their weekend passes around their necks and laughing and smiling over their photo-ops with the girls. It made me happy to see that Alice, Rosalie, and Bella could be positive role models for the younger generation. It was much better than other young celebrities who partied all the time and were arrested for drunk driving or drugs. These three girls had great heads on their shoulders and I was blessed to be able to see that this weekend.

I wandered into the convenience store and grabbed the medicine as well as a few drinks and snacks. Perhaps I could sway Emmett with a tiny peace offering of food. I paid for the stuff and walked back towards the hotel, silently humming one of the 100 Spider Monkey songs in my head. I promised myself when I got home that I was going to order their CD off their website even though I already had one, just to help them out.

When I walked back in the room Edward was still on his lap top and Emmett was next to him on the bed, a cloth full of ice on his face. He grunted when he saw me and I threw a pack of Twinkies at him without saying a word. I lay on my bed and closed my eyes, holding back a smile when I heard the plastic wrapper crinkling under Emmett's paws. I laid there for a while, drifting in and out when someone knocked on the door. Edward got up to open it and grabbed the pizza's we had ordered. I told them to add it to the room bill and we set up shop on the counter, plates and some soda's to go along with the pies.

Emmett turned on the TV and we watched an episode of _50301_, a show about high school kids growing up in Des Moines, Iowa. It turned out the episode was one Rosalie had starred in, so Emmett watched intently, barely chewing when her scenes came on.

I took some pills after we ate and crawled under my covers. This weekend had exhausted me and I was more than ready to head home tomorrow to my own bed. I fell asleep soon as my head hit the pillow and I was out like a light.

Hours later I felt my phone vibrating and heard the ringing noise, lulling me out of my sleep.

Emmett groaned. "Turn that shit off, Jasper."

I picked it up, my vision blurry, and answered without checking the number. "Hello?" I croaked out.

"Hey. Hi, Jasper, it's um…it's Alice."

My breathing stopped. Alice…_Alice?!_ "Hey!" I said excitedly.

"Shut the fuck up, Jasper," Emmett growled.

My heart was beating fast. "Can you…I mean, do you mind holding on for a second?" I shuffled to find my glasses and tugged them on, slipping on some socks as I went out into the hall. I sat down against the wall and sighed. "Okay, sorry."

She apologized for waking me and I refused to accept it—it truly was the best wake up I had ever had in my entire existence.

The line was quiet and I checked at my phone to see if she had hung up or something when she started talking fast, something about meeting up for coffee. My jaw must have hit the floor as I sat there. I tried to speak but my voice was gone—Alice Brandon, love of my life, was asking me out…on a date?

She started fumbling, trying to take it back, when I broke in excitedly. "No! I mean, no, I would really… I mean…" I sighed. "I would love to meet you for coffee, Alice."

I could almost feel the warmth of her smile through the phone as we talked about the when and where. She said she'd text me later when she knew for sure the name of the place and I wished her a good night and a good morning, not sure of what time it was. I crept back in the room and sprawled out on the bed, a huge shit-eating grin on my face. I felt like the luckiest guy in the entire world. My stomach started buzzing with butterflies at the thought of spending some time alone, without the fans, without the press.

Just Alice Brandon and me.

** **

I must have fallen back asleep but was woken up by a hand nudging me. I groaned, covering my head with one of the pillows. "No."

"Jasper, wake up! Check out is in a few hours and we've still got to get to the vendor room." Edward sounded just like a little kid at Disney. I knew he wanted to see what they were selling all weekend and we just hadn't had a chance to get there. I promised myself we wouldn't miss out on this—I might even pick something up for Christmas.

"Five more minutes," I begged.

"Come on, bro, we've got a lot of ground to cover today," Emmett said, walking out of the bathroom with his toothbrush in his mouth. I sat up and squinted, trying to focus on him.

"Where'd you get that shirt?"

He was wearing a black t-shirt with an outline of the _CA_ movie poster in a grey color. I hadn't seen it before and it was actually kind of cool.

He spit and rinsed his mouth. "I walked down to the vendor room and bought it. It was either this or go topless."

I looked over at Edward who made the sign of the cross over his chest and I laughed, slipping my glasses on my nose. I ran my fingers through my hair and exhaled heavily. I'd had the best dream last night…Alice had called me and…wait, _Alice_?

I picked up my phone, searching my received calls. Sure enough there was a number there that I didn't have saved in my phone. I stared down. It was real. It was really fucking real.

"Jasper, you okay man?" Edward asked.

I nodded, getting up and pulling some clothes out of my bag. "Never been better." I took a quick shower and dressed, ready for the day. I finished putting the rest of my stuff in my bag and zipped it shut so it'd be all done for later. I looked to my two friends and clapped my hands together. "Well, let's go buy some gear!"

They both cheered and we walked down towards the room set up for merchandise. Emmett slapped me on the back and I gave him a small smile. His face looked terrible and the three of us combined must have looked like we'd been ganged up on in an alley somewhere. As we entered the room, people would turn and try to hide their stares or gasps but we knew it was inevitable. I had no idea when we came to Vancouver for a fan convention that we'd all get our asses kicked.

Edward made a beeline for a table that was full of Bella Swan stuff and Emmett and I started on one end, browsing. We'd make a comment once in a while over some stuff we thought was neat or weird and laugh about it.

Emmett picked up a Rosalie Hale action figure. He turned to me and I raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know they made those," I said.

He pulled it close to his face. "They messed up her face. That isn't Rosalie Hale. She looks bloated and weird. I'd be outraged."

I picked up an Alice Brandon doll and looked at it as well. "This one's not much better."

Emmett thought for a second before picking up the Bella Swan doll, too. He took the one from my hand and handed them all to the lady, pulling his wallet out of his pocket.

"Emmett, what are you doing?" I asked.

He handed one of his cards to the woman as she bagged them up. "I know I've been a douche this weekend to both you and Edward; most of the time it wasn't you guys' fault. So I just wanted to get something for us to remember this weekend by." He shrugged his shoulders.

I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Emmett Cullen was being nice. If I had known years ago that beating the shit out of him would make him nice I'd have done it back then.

We kept walking and stumbled upon Edward who had a small bag full of goodies, some for him and some for contest winners on his website. He was buzzing a mile a minute—so much I almost missed my phone vibrating in my pocket. I pulled it out and found a text from Alice.

_Here's the directions to the coffee shop. See you soon!_

I looked at the time and saw that I had to be there soon. I needed to find some way to sneak away from the guys without looking suspicious. It wasn't that I didn't want to tell them, but until I knew for sure why Alice wanted to meet me I didn't want to stir up trouble.

Emmett and Edward were leaning over a box full of trading cards, probably looking for one specific one that Edward needed. I tapped Edward on the shoulder.

"My head's hurting, I'm gonna go walk back to the room and get some medicine, maybe lay down."

Emmett nodded and Edward gave me a half-smile before turning back to the box. Luckily the merchandise was enough to distract them. I walked out of the room and out of the hotel towards the place that had the potential to change everything.

** ** **

It took me a while to find this coffee place. First of all, I had never been to this part of Vancouver before and my sense of direction was off. And secondly, my iPhone had failed me with its 'built-in GPS' and took me somewhere that was at least six blocks away. I silently prayed that Alice didn't get tired of waiting for me and leave. As I walked up my fingers started to tremble. I knocked on the door and sighed in relief when I saw Alice's face pop-up. After a few glances, the manager let me in and I stepped inside. I watched as her eyes widened as I got nearer, probably at my battle scars.

"What happened?" she asked me.

"It's nothing, really." I looked over to see Esme and Carlisle there, pretending to be drinking coffee and not listening, although I knew damn well they were. She wasn't convinced by my answer so I gave her a very light version of the events and the reason that I looked so mangled. She seemed to accept that and sat back, watching me.

My heart was swelling with emotions watching her next to me. She made me feel so real, so alive. "You wanted to talk to me?" I asked.

She seemed to be nervous, trying to find the right words to say. What had I done? Was she upset with me? Was I creeping her out? Oh my God, did she find out about Ann?

I leaned closer, boldly taking her hand in mine. The moment we touched I knew this was it for me. "Hey, it's okay," I said, trying to reassure her. This might be the only moment I would get with her and I planned on taking advantage of it, letting my thumb run across the top of her creamy skin.

She stared at me again before she started. "I've never… I don't…Jasper, I feel something with you; something I've never felt with anyone else... and it scares me and makes me excited all at once."

I couldn't fight the smile that crept up on my face. I was exciting her—she was feeling…I was making her feel…she was making me feel.

"I just knew it… I knew when I first met you. I just knew this was different, that you were different. And this whole weekend I've just enjoyed finally being able to be myself with someone who isn't involved in this series or related to me… and I just… I can be myself with you. I don't have to be this perfect, confidant girl that has everything figured out. I can be a little crazy and unsure and totally myself…" she looked down, nervous.

"I knew it, too," I said, relieved that she didn't hate me. No, this was the best news ever. I wanted to stand up on this table and start hollering I was so happy.

"You did?"

"Yup."

"You have no idea how worried I was about this. Literally all last night I was… freaking out."

She was freaking out? "Why?" I asked and frowned.

"I dunno… I mean, what if you hated me? Or if you were just using me…"

My heart dropped down to my stomach. Using her? Me using her? This had to be stopped right now. "Ok number one, I wouldn't ever hate you or use you. And number two, why would you even think that?"

"I have the same group of friends that I had before all of this started, and I mean… I have new acquaintances, but there is a reason why I only have my one group of friends. It's hard to trust people… to know that they are really with you because they want to be, and not because of who or what they think you are."

I had to give Alice credit. For all the fame that she'd received, she'd still managed to play it smart, keeping herself protected and guarded by the people who loved her the most. But now I wanted to be one of those people. I wanted her to believe that I could be that for her, too. "Alice, I wouldn't…"

"I know that now. I mean… you easily could have called the press and told them you were coming here. It just made me nervous because you work for the media, and I mean, Edward runs that website…"

Fuck. As much as I loved Edward, right now I wanted to unplug his laptop and delete that website. Now we looked like a regular bunch of creepsters. "How do you know about that?" I asked. I hadn't told her anything about me or the guys. She blushed and I couldn't help but smile to myself. "Alice Brandon, are you a stalker?"

She laughed at me, a musical sound that made me tingle all the way down to my toes. I always wanted to make her laugh.

"Well, after I met you, I had Esme find out some things about you…"

I couldn't help but laugh, picturing Esme sitting in front of a laptop Googling "Jasper Whitlock" and all the shit that came up from that. Which reminded me to untag some of those Facebook photos. I tucked my arm behind her chair and smirked. "Esme checked me out? Well, I'm glad I passed the test," I said loudly, knowing she could hear me.

"I have no idea how she can find out so much but she gave me this whole little profile of you. I just had to make sure you weren't like… crazy or anything."

I gulped. Now I was starting to wonder what was in the profile. I'd worry about it later; maybe have Angela take a look for me. I promised Alice that I would keep this a secret; I wanted her to trust me, to know that I wasn't going to go sell our story to _Alright! Magazine_.

She tried to convince me that it was alright, that we didn't need to be a secret, but I wanted to do this for me just as much as I wanted to do this for her. She deserved her privacy, and I didn't want to tell anyone else until I was sure where this was going. It was too big a risk to those around me and even my job. I couldn't deal with all that until I had a strong notion of where Alice and I were headed.

The floodgates opened and I just started babbling. "I play the guitar, well, I used to, but now I just want to go home and play it again. This weekend I've just gotten all these ideas, these…these inspirations…and my fingers won't stop twitching, just anxious to get home and pluck it all out. It's so incredible to just feel so…so alive," I said, instantly feeling like an idiot. So to dig myself deeper, I kept talking. I told her about my job and all my friends back in Washington. I even mentioned things about Edward and Emmett, hoping she'd see what truly good people they were. I begged her not to hold a grudge against Emmett for being a douche and hoped that all this wasn't scaring her off. I just wanted her to know everything about me—and I wanted to know every single thing about her.

I heard footsteps and saw Esme approaching in my peripheral vision. My fingers clenched tighter to Alice's hand that I was still holding.

"I'm sorry, but we've got to get going or you'll miss your flight," she said softly, walking off back towards Carlisle to give us a moment to say goodbye. I turned to Alice, a sense of emptiness already washing over me with the thought of not being near her.

I stood up, wanting to pull her to me and never let her go. She looked up at me with sad eyes and I just wanted to die.

"So what do we do now?" she asked nervously.

Knowing that she didn't want to leave me gave me a new found courage. I took her hand and laced my fingers between hers. "We can do whatever we want," I said softly. I tried to put on a sense of confidence, giving her strength to move forward with this…with us. I leaned down to kiss the top of her head, not sure when I would see her next. "Call me when you get back safely," I begged.

She nodded and I had to walk away before I turned into caveman Jasper and dragged her away with me. I smiled before I took a few tentative steps. I saw Carlisle give me a warm nod and I smiled—whether Alice knew it or not, she had some great people on her side. I reached for the door, promising myself that once I got out in the streets I would let myself unravel.

"Jasper," she called, and I turned to see her small frame standing there, shoulders slumped. A second later she was walking towards me, a look of determination on her face. Her tiny hands fisted my shirt and pulled me to her, her lips crashing into mine. After a few seconds of shock, I felt my body relax into her and my arms circled her, tucking her into my chest where I wanted to keep her forever.

Mama's words flooded back into my memory. _'Always listen to your heart, Jasper. The heart wants what it wants.'_

I let her go and smiled down at her. My heart knew what it wanted.

It wanted Alice Brandon.

And it was going to have it.

** ** **

The walk back to the hotel was quick and I couldn't wait to get back home. I knew I'd miss Alice like crazy, but something inside me told me that we were going to work things out. This wasn't the end of us.

I walked into the room and found Edward zipping up his bag and Emmett was laying on the bed staring at the television. When he saw me, he turned it off and stared at me.

"Well if it isn't Jasper-fucking-Whitlock. How's your headache, pal? Did the nap do you some good?"

I wanted to roll my eyes. Of course Emmett knew I didn't take a nap and now the rest of the ride he was going to annoy me, trying to figure out where I was.

"I'm going to go have them pull the truck around from Valet," Edward said, grabbing his bags and almost running out the door. I hated putting him in the middle like this.

I shoved the rest of my stuff in my bag and looked at Emmett. "I just wanted to get some air."

He huffed and grabbed his bag as well. We rode down the elevator in silence and shoved our stuff in the back of my truck. I was turning to walk to the cab when Emmett grabbed my arm and narrowed his eyes at me.

"I know you're hiding something. Just know I'm watching you," he said.

I stared at him for a second before I laughed hard. "Emmett, shut the fuck up and get in the car." I turned away from him and pulled out my cell-phone, sending a quick message to Alice.

_I just wanted you to know that you're worth it._

I sent it and tucked my phone in my pocket, climbed in my truck, and started back towards Olympia. We knew this weekend was going to change our lives, but I never imagined it would have been like this.

** ** **

**LMW:** How's that for a Super Special Edition?! Take that, Ann S. Martin and your _Babysitter's Club_! Anyway, special thanks to all of you because you rock my world every time I post (be it this or one of my other stories). I'm taking a break from _Stalking_ for the holidays in hopes of a)finishing "A Great Fall" (I'm pre-writing it all before I post the next piece), and b) gaining back my mojo for "Right Side" so I can finish that one up, too! So if you're looking for my other stuff, hopefully soon! *Summer Spurs is on the list, too!*

**JustForkIt**: ONE BIG COLLECTIVE AW!!! Hope you guys have a good Christmas and Stalking will continue after the holidays!


	17. A Stalkers Guide: Outtake: In My Dreams

**THIS IS AN OUTTAKE!! It belongs to Silvertwi because she is awesome and we love her. That and because she purchased us for Fandom Gives Back. That being said, there is a line in this outtake that is specifically for Stalkmett. See if you can find it. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight, but we do own these Fanboys!**

[ Edward ]

The two of us stood with our backs pressed against the door and our chests heaving while we tried to catch our breath. I could still hear people in the hallway, their loud footsteps and shrill voices carrying through the heavy hotel door. But over their noise I could still hear her. I could hear how shaky her breath was, almost as if she was on the verge of tears, letting out a gasping sob that was building under the surface.

"Bella," I whispered softly and covered her hand with mine, trying to reassure and comfort her.

Her head was down, making me lean forward so I could see her face. Her eyes were closed but that didn't mask the look of sheer fright that she was wearing. Her forehead was creased, her eyes squinted together, and her lips were pulled down in a frown.

"I just need a moment," she said in a small and quiet voice. I remained silent, keeping my hand over hers.

I had been beyond ecstatic when she had called and agreed to let me interview her for the website. Not only was this a great opportunity for the site, but this was a huge step for me. If Bella was willing to meet with me without her management then she had to trust me. If she trusted me, then maybe she had felt it, too. Maybe she felt the connection that I had when we did our photo session and maybe this would be the beginning of so much more.

The interview went extraordinarily well. I hadn't screwed up and made an ass of myself; I hadn't accidentally groped her, and was actually able to remain calm. She seemed relaxed, smiling and laughing, answering my questions honestly and just being herself. It had all been perfect until they spotted us.

"Oh. My. God!"

That was the last coherent words I had heard before all of the screaming started. In a split second, Bella's relaxed behavior became frenzied and panicked. Without even turning to look and see how many of them there were, I grabbed Bella's hand and pulled her up from the table. I ushered her through a side door of the coffee shop at the hotel, and the only thought that ran through my mind was that I had to protect her, get her out of here.

I pushed and guided her through the back hallways of the hotel, growing angrier as the screaming voices behind us got closer. Bella seemed beside herself, not really making sense with the words she was rambling. I held tightly to her hand and tried to appear calm and collected.

The elevators would have been the best bet, giving us a few seconds to compose ourselves, but they took too long. After Bella finally sputtered where her room was, I started towing her up the stairs. I knew I couldn't run the entire twenty flights with her, but if we could just get a little distance between us and the screaming fans we would be fine.

"Edward, I can't…" she muttered breathlessly after we had just cleared the fourth flight of stairs. I was about to give in and let her have a moment to rest but the door at the bottom of the stairs flew open and a thunderous roar of feet running up the stairs filled the stairwell.

Without stopping to think, I pulled her up and out into the hallway, only pausing to punch the button for the elevator. I could hear the screaming and yelling filtering from the door behind us and knew we didn't have time to wait. My eyes scanned the hallway and saw what would be our saving grace--a maid's cart.

We both watched as she made her way out of the room and was letting the door close behind her. I pushed Bella ahead of me, and, in just enough time, caught the door before it closed all the way. With seconds to spare I had pushed Bella into the room before the hallway erupted in mass screaming.

"I am so sorry…" she started, but I shook my head and cut her off.

"This wasn't your fault, Bella."

She nodded but wouldn't look at me, instead continuing to look at the floor. Without thinking I slid my finger under her chin, raising it so that I could see her face. The second I saw the tears running down her cheeks, I stopped.

"Bella…"

She shook her head and stepped around me. She fisted her hands in her hair as she paced back and forth between the bed and the window. "I don't want you to see me like this," she said harshly.

I watched her in confusion. "Why? You're a human being, that's not… I mean, you got scared. There isn't anything wrong with that."

Bella stopped pacing and her shoulders hunched forward. It literally looked like she was caving in on herself. I stepped forward, catching her before she could hit the floor. I thought maybe she had fainted, but when I heard a quiet sniffling noise, I realized she was crying.

"Hey, it's okay," I said quietly as my arms wrapped around her. "You're okay."

She shook her head as she cried against my shoulder. "I just feel so…trapped."

I frowned as my hands ran softly up and down her back.

"I just want to feel something else. Anything…I want…I need to feel something…" she whimpered as she pulled against the front of my shirt. "Please… Edward…"

Before I could stop to think, my mouth fell on hers. I let myself enjoy the first few seconds, knowing that she would push me away in horror. But as the seconds passed, I realized that she wasn't pushing away; instead, she was kissing me back.

Bella pushed my jacket off my shoulders and her hands traveled around my neck as she pulled me closer to her. The back of her knees hit the bed and both of us fell onto it. I moaned at the feeling of her body under mine but quickly tried to move my weight off of her.

"No," she moaned softly, wrapping her legs around my hips and holding me to her.

My hands tentatively slipped under her shirt as our kisses became more frantic and urgent. She didn't stop me, but instead pulled the shirt off and threw it to the floor. Before I could even blink, she had done the same with mine.

"Bella, we don't…" I started, but she stopped me by pulling me back down to her mouth.

"I want this," she whispered against my lips before her tongue glided over mine. With a feral groan I deepened our kiss. As our lips crashed against each other, she ran her fingernails down my shoulder and back.

My mind was filled with nothing but the thought of her. It was her scent, the taste of her tongue, the feeling of her legs wrapped around me. Every single part of my being seemed to be focused around her, my senses heightened by the way she felt, tasted, sounded, looked and smelled.

I took my time; my fingers lingered as they traced over her skin. My lips ghosted a trail down her shoulder and across her chest.

"Edward," Bella moaned, as my tongue ran between her breasts. Her nails ran up my back to my shoulders, digging into my skin, a mixture of pain and ecstasy washing over me.

I smiled until her hands pushed against me. I sat up and looked down at her, wondering if she wanted me to stop. "Are you… I'm sorry…" I panted while her hands wrapped around the tops of my arms.

"Sorry for what?" she asked with a laugh and rolled me over, straddling my lap.

I watched as she leaned over me; her hair fell like a curtain beside us while her lips ran a trail down my jaw and neck. Her tongue circled around the shell of my ear and sent goose bumps over my entire body.

As she kissed down my chest, my fingers wiped away the faint trail of dried tears that covered her face. She looked up at me, smiling softly, before she continued her kisses down to my stomach.

I swallowed loudly as her hands left my hips and started unbuttoning my jeans. As her tongue circled around my bellybutton, I stared up at the ceiling and took a deep breath.

The sound of the zipper being pulled down seemed to echo around the otherwise silent room, followed by my loud and labored breathing. My fingers curled into her hair as her fingers dipped into my waist band and slowly pulled my boxers down.

"Bella…" I groaned as she placed a soft kiss on the head of my pulsing manhood.

She looked up at me, smiling the most adorable crooked grin. "Edward," she said.

I looked at her, frowning, because her voice was all wrong. It was too deep for such a small body, too boisterous.

"You'll enjoy this," Bella said, and again her voice didn't fit her. I sat up, trying to place where I knew it from. "Edward?" she asked again, this time scaring the shit out of me because I knew where I had heard it before.

I shook my head trying to get away from her, but she grabbed my arms and shook her head while asking, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"No!" I yelled, pulling away from her. Why was this happening? Why was _Emmett's_ voice coming out of her beautiful mouth?

"For Christ's sake, Edward, wake the fuck up!"

My eyes flew open and I found myself panting heavily. It took a second to figure out that I was in Jasper's truck. We were heading home from the convention. My heart dropped as I realized that sadly, it had all been a dream.

Emmett was leaning over the back of his seat while Jasper watched me in the rearview mirror.

"Are you okay?" Jasper asked, his eyes flickering between the rear view mirror and the road.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," I muttered, shaking my head.

"You were moaning and shit, are you sure you're okay?" Emmett asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"My face just hurts," I said, nodding and clearing my throat. Everyone turned back to the front and I took a deep breath before closing my eyes. I smiled to myself when images of Bella from the dream filled my eyes.

"We should be home in about thirty minutes," Jasper said, and I nodded.

We would be going back to Olympia, but I knew that wasn't my home. Home is where your heart is, and my heart was with Bella.

It always would be.

** ** **

**JFI: Happy New Year!!! We will be back to our regularly scheduled Stalking soon, but we at least wanted to give you a little something. Hope you liked it!**

**LMW: Aw, poor Edward! Keep your chin up, buddy! Welcome to 2010, crew! I'm declaring this "the year of the Fanboy!" Thanks for all your support in 2009 and I can't wait to see what this year brings!**

**We have some exciting news!! Stalking was voted the fiction of the month for Twilight20Somethings for January! We want thank everyone over there that nominated and voted for us!! Thanks so much for all of your support, it is very humbling!**


	18. The Three Step Plan

**Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight.**

_** *** **_

_"What do you mean no?" I asked loudly, ignoring the people turning around and looking at us._

_ Angela laughed quietly and shook her head. "Emmett, you are absolutely clueless."_

_ I leaned down so I could look into her eyes. "Are you seriously turning me down?"_

_ She nodded. "I am seriously turning you down."_

_** *** **_

As I sat at the game table in the Sunny Oaks recreation hall, I replayed that conversation over and over in my head. Angela-fucking-Weber had turned me down. Turned. Me. Down. That shit just wasn't right. I frowned and moved one of my checkers, nodding when Phil asked me if I was okay, even though I wasn't.

Since we had left Vancouver nothing about me had been okay. I blamed Jasper. If he hadn't gone all "morality police" on me then I wouldn't be hearing his fucking voice in my head. _"Do you realize that you've just disrespected the woman you claim that you want?" "Do you even realize how degrading that is?" _

Because of his ass I had been feeling all shitty about myself since we got back. And as a result of that, I decided it would be a good idea to ask Angela Weber out on a date. Seriously, in what universe would that ever be considered a good idea? But like the fucktard I am, when I met her ass at the damn Starbucks to pick up some shit for Edward, I asked her to go to dinner with me. She said no, and since then it felt like my entire fucking world had been turned upside down.

The problem wasn't just Angela, and it really wasn't her turning me down. It was like all of a sudden I had taken a step back and re-evaluated my life, another fucking mistake. It wasn't a good idea to take trips down memory lane. All it did was make me sad because I missed my mom, and then it pissed me off because I remembered all of that shit with Heidi and Peter.

She had been it for me. The second I met her I was sure that she was going to be the person I would spend the rest of my life with. If there had ever been a woman that would be able to make me settle down, it would have been her. Or so I thought.

I was a totally different person then. I was going to school and actually had a plan for my life, one that didn't include living with my little brother and our best friend. I was going to finish school, find a job coaching somewhere, and then ask Heidi to marry me. From what I knew, she was on board for the plan, too. That was until I walked into our hotel room in South Padre and found her with my supposed best friend.

They skipped town shortly after I beat the shit out of Peter, leaving me in a shitty ass hotel room with a broken hand, fifty bucks, and no way to get back to Seattle. Jasper's parents drove down and picked me up, and helped me pay for a bus ticket back to Seattle. The entire ride back I thought of nothing but how much I hated my life and how it all had to change. I guess you could say that's when I just stopped giving a shit. If I didn't take anything seriously, then I couldn't get hurt. If I didn't get hurt, then I could be free. It all made sense to me, or it had until Jasper slipped me a right hook. Fucker.

I spent the rest of the day convincing Phil and Mac that nothing was wrong with me, and I am sure they didn't buy it. The old fuckers were awesome though, trying to cheer me up by telling me stories from their glory days. But it didn't help. It also didn't help when I pulled into the driveway and saw Angela's car parked next to Edward's. I just couldn't catch a fucking break lately. I slammed my car door shut and trudged my way inside.

I frowned when I walked in and saw Angela and Edward conspiring together. "What's going on?" I asked carefully as I shut the door behind me.

Edward looked at me briefly before looking back to his monitor."We're reformatting the website."

"Why?" I asked, feigning interest while I looked through the mail we had gotten.

"Bella and Alice were attacked by the paparazzi last night and the pictures were splashed all over the internet this morning," he explained and looked at me. "I couldn't even look at all of them because they were that bad."

"So what are you doing to the site?"

"We're going to make a stand against it," Edward said fiercely and went back to his computer.

I was about to ask him what that even meant but Jasper walked in the front door. Since we had gotten back, Jasper was a complete one eighty from what he had been before. He was constantly smiling and whistling like life was just peachy-fucking-keen. So when he walked in with a scowl on his face, looking like he was ready to beat the shit out of anyone who crossed him, it made me curious.

"What's up with you?" I asked. I leaned back in my chair, watching as he slammed the door behind him and stomped around the living room. He didn't answer me.

"Did you see the pictures from last…" Edward started to ask, but Jasper cut him off.

"Yes, I saw the fucking pictures!" he yelled and all of us watched him in surprise. He paced around for a few seconds until his phone started ringing. Jasper quickly answered it and after he heard whoever was on the other line, he relaxed. He gave us a quick look before walking back into Edward's bedroom and shutting the door.

The three of us stared at the closed door for a few seconds before looking back at each other.

"Something is definitely going on," I said, looking back at the closed door.

"Let it go, Emmett. If he wanted us to know then he would tell us," Edward advised. "I'm going to grab something for dinner. Do you guys want anything?" Angela said no and I shook my head when he looked at me.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked while looking around for his keys. "I don't think I've ever witnessed you turning down food."

"Just go get your fucking dinner and leave the smart ass comments to me," I growled. He flipped me off as he walked by but I ignored him. The door shut behind him and the living room became entirely too quiet. Angela smiled tentatively but I just looked at her.

"Oh come on, Emmett. You're still pissed off that I won't go out with you? I have a boyfriend," she asked while turning her chair to face me. I ignored her and instead looked back down at some catalog we had gotten in the mail. She sighed loudly and turned back to the computer.

"Am I a douche bag?" I asked randomly.

Angela stopped and looked back at me. "You want an honest answer?" she asked and I nodded my head. "Yeah, Emmett, you can a huge douche bag."

I nodded again and looked down at the floor. That's what I figured.

"But you aren't always a douche bag. You're normally a good friend and a great brother. I just think that sometimes you pretend to be an ass so that you don't have to deal with uncomfortable situations. Like that's your defense mechanism or something," Angela explained quietly.

It surprised me that she was that intuitive. "I think…" I started and then sighed and looked up at her. "I don't want to be a jackass. But it's like I'm scared to let people inside my circle. I'm scared that if I do they might screw me over, so I keep all of my emotions and feelings at arms' length."

Why the fuck was I telling her all of this? Better question, why the hell was I even thinking about this shit? Why, after all this time, was I growing a conscious? Fucking Jasper Whitlock! That's why!

"Maybe you just need to talk to someone about it," Angela said, like she could read my mind somehow.

"I don't want to talk about it," I muttered.

"Well, then write about it. Something. Anything," she offered. "You can't just harbor feelings like this, Emmett."

I nodded but didn't say anything else. Maybe she was right. If I wrote about it, no one else would have to read it. It would just help me get it off my chest. Later that night, I was lying in bed thinking over the whole situation, when it hit me. Like a lightening bolt or some shit had struck me and all of it made sense.

I got up and quietly went into the living room. I shoved aside all of the trash that covered my part of the desk and waited while the computer I never used slowly came to life. I would have to ask Edward or Jasper to update this shit because it was already annoying me with how slow it was.

It finally finished loading everything and I opened a Word document. I stared at the screen for a few seconds, thinking about what I wanted to say, and then I just started typing. Once I started I couldn't stop. It just kept coming out. Minutes turned into hours and before I knew it, what little sun there was, was peaking through our windows. I still didn't stop.

Jasper eventually wandered into the living room and just stood there watching me. "What are you doing?" he asked, but I shook my head at him.

"Can't talk," I said quickly and kept typing.

A few minutes later Edward joined Jasper, standing there watching me.

"What's going on?" he asked while yawning. "Emmett, what are you doing?"

I shook my head and kept typing. I could feel the two of them standing there watching me, but I ignored them. I was almost at a stopping point. I typed out the last few sentences and smiled. I printed out the first chapter and as I walked by, I tossed it at them.

"What is this?" Jasper asked flipping through the pages. "Who is LittleDebbie?"

"That is FanFiction, and LittleDebbie is me," I said with a smile, and left the two of them standing there to go get ready for work.

** *** **

Emmett Fucking Cullen was back! Even thought I hadn't gotten a second of sleep last night I was the happiest mother fucker alive. The grass was greener, the sun… well, the sun wasn't shining, but it was just a great fucking day.

I had a plan. It had taken Jasper punching me in the face and Angela turning me down to get here, but I at least had a new plan. Writing FanFiction wasn't something I had purposefully set out to do, but it was like once I started, I couldn't stop. It was like some sort of weird ass therapy where I could work through all of my issues and throw in a few sex scenes. People wouldn't know it was me, other than Edward and Jasper, and I could talk about things like dreams and feelings without people thinking I was a cream puff.

There were three steps in the plan, and my 'therapy' was only one of them. The first step was going back to school and finishing my degree. I only had another year before I finished, and if I took night classes, I could go to school and still work full-time. The second step was going to be harder, but I was going to get back in shape. The thought of working out didn't bother me, but saying goodbye to my Little Debbie and Hostess snacks was going to be difficult.

Call me a crazy, but there were fewer things better in life than the taste of a Twinkie. It was like unwrapping a little piece of sunshine and happiness and putting it in your mouth. The boxes that the snacks came in were like old friends, smiling at you from the grocery store self. They were all cheerful and bright with their logos and tempting pictures of the snacks that waited inside. The wrappings that they came in made the best crinkling sound when you were opening them, like a chorus of angels welcoming you to the gates of heaven. I fucking loved that sound. But it was time to give them up.

So after work I stopped by the grocery store and wandered though the produce section. I was clueless. I knew the basics like apples and oranges, but when I saw something called a kumquat I was thrown for a loop. I didn't know what the fuck it was, but it definitely didn't sound like it belonged next to the grapefruits. So I stuck to the basics, buying fruits and vegetables that I was familiar with. As I was handing the cashier my debit card, I realized how fucking expensive it was going to be to lose weight. With the amount of money I had just spent on bananas and apples I could have gotten five boxes of Twinkies and had enough money left over to stop by Taco Bell. It was no wonder the majority of Americans were overweight; it was cheaper to eat junk.

When I got home, Edward and Jasper watched me as I lugged in the few grocery sacks that I had. Neither one of them said anything as I opened the snack cabinet and stared into it. When I started pulling the boxes from the shelves and emptying its contents into the trashcan, they both shot up out of their chairs and sprinted into the kitchen.

"What are you doing?!" Edward asked loudly. Jasper stood beside him, both of them watching me like I might be losing my mind.

"It's time for a change," I said with as much certainty as I had in me. "I have a three step plan and it doesn't include Ding-Dongs and Twinkies. As much as it hurts me to say this, they've got to go."

"Did you buy produce?" Jasper asked, pulling my grocery bags closer to him and digging through the fruits and vegetables I got gotten. "Emmett, you got apples and no caramel dipping sauce?"

"Peanut butter is better for you," I said with a nod and moved past them, ignoring how both of them were watching me with their mouths hanging open.

I dragged the trashcan full of my favorite snacks outside. After a deep sigh I lifted the lid to the dumpster and emptied them into it. I stared at it for a second. "Goodbye, my friends," I said quietly before dropping the lid back down and heading back inside.

"Emmett, are you…" Edward started but I cut him off.

"I need to change some things, and I'm going to need your help," I said, looking at both of them. "Please."

They both nodded and I launched into my plan. I told them about my FanFiction therapy and how I thought it would help me, and I told them about going back to school. I asked Edward if he could update my computer, and maybe get it to run faster, and he gladly agreed. I asked Jasper if he would make me a workout playlist, because God knew if I was I going to be getting up at the ass crack of dawn to start working out, then I would need something to keep me awake.

"Yeah I can make you a playlist," he agreed and patted my back. "I'll do you one better, Emmett, I'll join you. I could stand to lose a few pounds, and if we do it together, then it might not be as hard."

"Yeah, we can all do it," Edward said happily.

"Thanks guys," I said, meaning it. I was about to get up and give them a hug but decided against it. I might have been going through an emotional and physical reformation, but I wasn't at the point where I could give man-hugs. That was going to take some time.

"So what did you think about the story?" I asked excitedly and nodded towards the first few chapter I had printed out this morning.

"Honestly?" Edward asked and I nodded. "It was surprisingly good."

"Really? You didn't think it was too much? I mean, obviously Kate is based off of me so she will be a little out of character."

"A little?" Edward asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, that's going to take some time to get used to. It's different to read Bella's character and realize it's you," Jasper said with a laugh. "But I really liked the story. If it's going to help you, then I think you should continue it."

"Just warn me when there will be sex scenes," Edward said. "I will need some prep time for that."

I smiled and leaned back, sighing in relief and excitement. The reformation of Emmett Cullen was a go.

** **

[ Jasper ]

I sat at my desk and all but tapped a hole into my desk with my pencil. Being back in Olympia without Alice was more difficult than I thought it would be. I didn't understand how my life could change so much with just one weekend. Deep down I knew this was the end of life for me as I used to know it. Now that I had Alice Brandon, there was no going back. And I didn't mind one bit.

Keeping it a secret was killing me. It helped that I was a guy, so I wasn't expected to gush all the "juicy details" like they did on Gossip Girl and those other TV shows, but it would have been nice if I could have told Edward and Emmett. Instead I had to creep around and make phone calls and excuses as to why I was late from work or if I needed something from the store. Emmett was definitely suspicious of me, which made it even worse. When he found out he was going to be pissed.

But I couldn't risk anything right now. Everything was so new and wonderful, and as much as I wanted to share it, and as much as I loved Emmett like a brother, I didn't want him to fuck anything up.

My boss was impressed with my footage and interviews from VanCon and had given me a second assignment since then. He promised that if I "didn't make him look bad" that the opportunities would keep coming. And apparently this was just another way in which my life was looking up.

I had my lady, I had my friends, and I had my job. What more could a guy hope for?

I glared over at my phone for the millionth time today. Maria was waiting for me in my office when I walked in this morning. She had a grim look on her face.

"Jasper, I've got something you need to see. It's going to be all over the radio and news today."

I sat down at my desk and rattled my mouse.

"It's in your e-mail," she said quietly.

I opened the program and clicked on the link in the e-mail. My heart immediately stopped beating. Alice and Bella had been out at a friends' show the night before and the paparazzi had followed them back to their hotel, cornering them. Their faces were hidden but you could see the traces of panic in Alice and Bella's eyes. My hand started shaking and my mind immediately began to wander. I knew Alice was going out last night—she had told me that much. But I hadn't heard from her since then—not one call or text. And she hadn't updated her Twitter either.

_Fuck, what if she was hurt?_

"I know you're a big fan, so I wanted you to be prepared for the onslaught," Maria said.

I think I somehow managed to thank her before she left my office and I all but pounced on my phone, dialing Alice's number. When she didn't answer, I texted her. When she didn't reply, I called again.

I continued the vicious cycle for over an hour, typing Esme's name into Google and looking for some kind of e-mail address or contact number. She had to be okay. She was Alice Brandon. She was always okay. She just had to be okay. I couldn't deal with this if she wasn't.

Luckily it was a quiet day at work for me. I stayed in my office, searching all the _Carlisle's Angels_ and Alice Brandon fansites for updates as to what happened and if she was okay. When the pictures flashed on the screen at me, I wanted to break down and cry. What gave those photographers, if they could be called that with respect, the right to corner someone just because they were in a few movies?

I didn't eat lunch, just opted for a Red Bull and some Juicy Fruit. I was rude to people when they came in my office, but I couldn't help it. I was worried about Alice. After about three hours or so of sitting there, I closed up shop and left, heading over to a coffee house and ordering a large Black coffee and turning on my laptop. Again I searched for any news I could find.

The fans had gone ballistic. Campaigns, videos, banners, petitions, all of them had been created in order to take a stand against what had happened. I clicked on a video and felt tears springing up in my eyes as the saddest song played along to a slideshow of the girls being harassed.

I slapped the computer shut and hopped into my truck, heading home. I turned on my iPod and put on the 100 Spider Monkey album, letting Alice's voice attempt to calm me. I smiled at the song, which was written as an improv song at one of their shows. It was a song all about pudding. I shook my head and hummed along.

But as soon as I turned the truck off and got back to reality, my mood darkened again. I stomped into the house.

"Did you see the pictures from…" Edward started to ask me.

I started to feel my hands shake again. "Yes, I saw the fucking pictures!" I hollered. Everyone in the room shrunk back and I suddenly felt like a huge asshole. I tried to take a few steps around the room to calm down when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and wanted to cry in relief when I saw it was Alice.

"Hello?" I asked quietly.

"Jasper?" she asked tentatively.

My shoulders fell in relief and I started praying silently to the heavens.

"Hold on," I said as I nodded my head towards the hall and walked into Edward's bedroom, shutting the door. "You there, darlin?"

I heard her sigh. "Oh, Jasper," she said.

I feared she'd start to cry and I pushed her for answers. "Are you alright? I've been texting and calling you all day…I saw the pictures and I just…oh, God, Alice, I couldn't even breathe."

"We're fine, I promise. Bella's a little shaken up still, but we weren't injured. I left my phone in Jena's purse last night and forgot where I left it. I've been searching for it all day and didn't realize who had it until just now, which is why I haven't been able to call you. I'm sorry," she said softly.

I shook my head even though she couldn't see it. "You have nothing to apologize for. You didn't bring this on yourself. I'm just so…angry…that they could do something like that to you! Do you need me to come out there?"

"As great as that sounds, Jasper, I don't know if it's such a good idea. What would you tell Emmett and Edward?"

"I don't know, but I'll think of something. Alice, I don't know if this is too much to say or anything, but without you I am nothing," I said, my heart feeling heavy.

She remained quiet for a few moments and I sat there with my back against the door, listening to her breathing.

"I need you here," she said quietly and I almost didn't hear her.

I swallowed thickly in my excitement. "Alright, I can be there this weekend then." I was grinning like a fucking idiot.

"Thank you, Jasper."

"Get some rest, darlin. I'll text you my flight details as soon as I get them."

"Goodnight," she whispered.

"Sweet dreams, Alice," I said as I ended the call. "I love you."

** ** **

**LMW:** Well what have we here? A reformation of the Emmett kind? And Jasper's gonna sneak off to see Alice? Will they both succeed? Tune in next time for another episode of Stalking! We're so thankful for all the support we're getting—y'all really help keep us goin!

**JFI**: VIVA LA FANBOY!! And we're back! Hope you guys enjoyed it... and just fyi, it broke my heart to write Emmster throwing his Little Debbies away. Thanks as always! *muah*


	19. Finding Your Chi

**We don't own Twilight. But we will dominate the year of the fanboys! Viva la fanboys!**

** ** **

[ Edward ]

"Edward, you just aren't listening…"

Angela was trying to talk me out of this whole website reformatting business, again. It had been a round-robin conversation for the past few days. Originally, I had thought she was on board, and maybe she had been, until we started losing members.

"Angela, I'm not going to change my mind," I said simply.

She let out a frustrated sigh and the phone line went silent. I didn't want to fight with her; she had become one of my closest friends. But this wasn't something I was willing to back down from.

I hadn't been in a paparazzi situation like the one Alice and Bella had been trapped in. In fact, my little run-in with them in Vancouver couldn't even be compared to anything the three of them faced on a daily basis. But, I guess, in a small way, I felt like I could relate to them now. It had been terrifying to have absolutely no control of a situation you found yourself in, and it definitely wasn't an experience I could easily forget.

"Okay," Angela said calmly. "Just meet me for coffee and let me buy you a drink. We can sit down and talk about this."

I agreed, but only because I knew she wouldn't give up. After hanging up the phone, I opened the small filing cabinet that sat under my desk. I let out a huge sigh and started pulling out folders. They were filled with pictures and articles about the girls, mostly of Bella. Some of them were actual articles that she had willingly done, while others were from trashy magazines that told nothing but lies. They sickened me—those magazines that made money from pictures the paparazzi took without the girls' permission.

I flipped through the folders and sighed when my "throw away" stack was noticeably larger than my "keep" one. With a determined nod, I picked up the larger stack of folders and tossed them into the trash can.

The pictures and articles weren't the only thing in my life that had been thrown away. I got rid of anything that involved unauthorized pictures. That included a ton of manipulation photographs that Angela had made me. I had also unsubscribed from certain websites that were still posting paparazzi videos and photos of the girls. I might be the only one taking a serious stand against this, but one person was better than none at all, and nothing was going to change my mind.

I saw Angela sitting at a table in the crowded Starbucks and made my way over. She smiled when she saw me and pushed out the chair across from her with her foot. "Hi," she said when I reached her.

"Hey," I greeted her. I pulled my bag over my head and carefully sat it on the floor before taking a seat.

"I got you a tall black coffee, two sugars. Right?" she asked. I nodded, and Angela didn't waste any time in bringing up our previous conversation. "Alright listen, Edward, I get that you had an experience or whatever while you were in Vancouver, but come on…"

My head shot up in frustration. "Angela, it wasn't an 'experience.' I was trampled on!" I motioned to my face that was still showing the hint of slight bruises. "And what happened to me is _nothing_ compared to what those girls deal with on a daily basis!"

"Okay, okay," she raised her hands defensively. "All I am saying is that we have already lost a hundred and fifty members! People agree that the paparazzi have taken all of this too far, but what can we do?"

"We can not post their pictures! We can refuse to exploit Bella, Alice and Rosalie's lives! Just because they make movies or whatever doesn't mean that we have the right to invade their privacy!" I whispered harshly.

Angela rubbed her forehead and sighed. "Edward, I get it, I really do. But if we keep doing this… we won't have any members. Everything that we've worked for in the past two years will be for nothing. We've already lost site affiliates because people think you're taking this too far. One person can not make that big of a difference!"

"I would rather be a single voice than an echo of something I don't believe in," I said with as much conviction as I had. "Those girls aren't just actresses in a movie, Angela. They are human beings. They deserve their privacy."

Angela looked at me for a moment and then slowly nodded her head. She picked her pen up and scribbled on the tablet of paper in front of her. "So, absolutely no paparazzi pictures? Only studio released ones?"

I smiled in victory and leaned back in my chair. "If they are at an event, like a red carpet or… some promotional thing, then I have no problem posting the pictures. But I won't post the ones of them being chased down streets and through parking garages."

She nodded, and the two of us continued discussing the new lay out for the website. She might not have fully agreed with what I was doing, but at the end of the day, FallenAngels was my site. As much as I would have hated to do it, if Angela wouldn't have gotten on board, then I would have run the site by myself.

"I hope you know that this won't be easy, Edward. You're going to get a lot of people talking shit about you… about the site…" she said while opening her car door.

"Soon we must all face a choice between what's right, and what is easy," I said with a shrug.

She looked at me for a second before smiling. "Did you really just quote Dumbledore?"

I nodded and smiled when she laughed. "Hey, it's good advice." She rolled her eyes before getting in her car. I waved as she pulled out of the parking lot and got back in my own car to head home.

When I walked in the door, I found Emmett trying to do yoga on the Wii Fit and Jasper was walking around the house throwing things into a duffle bag.

"Jasper, stop coming in here! You're messing with my chi!" Emmett yelled while trying to manage some weird arm pose.

"Do you even know what your chi is, Emmett?" Jasper asked with a laugh.

Emmett dropped his arms and turned around to stare at Jasper and me. He looked irritated for a second before he shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "Hell no, but it sounded good, didn't it?"

I rolled my eyes and walked over to my desk. I had to give Emmett credit; he was really sticking to this whole diet and exercise plan. I hadn't seen him shove something unhealthy in his mouth since the day he walked in with all of those fruits and vegetables. I was also pretty sure that he hadn't said "fuck" since that night, either. Whatever had gotten into Emmett was apparently working.

I laughed as my brother and Jasper playfully argued with each other, but stopped when I got to my desk. The top of it was covered in all of the folders that I had just thrown away.

"Why did you guys dig these out of the trash can?" I asked. Both of them looked up at me, but Emmett was the one to speak.

"Did you really mean to throw those away?"

"Yeah, I don't… I don't want them anymore," I explained and threw all of them back into the trash can. Jasper and Emmett were both looking at me like I had lost my mind. "What?" I asked defensively.

"Why don't you want them anymore?" Jasper asked quietly while Emmett nodded.

"I just… don't. I guess it's like, now that I've met them and I see how it is for them, I don't want anything to do with it. I don't want to be _that_ guy anymore…" I tried to explain.

Emmett nodded and went back to his yoga, but Jasper stood there and watched me before smiling and nodding his head. I motioned to the bag he was holding and asked if he was going somewhere.

"Yeah," he said quickly. "I'm going to go visit my parents."

"If your mom makes brownies, do not tell me… _ever_," Emmett said in a serious voice. "I mean it, Jasper. I can't handle that shit right now!"

Jasper rolled his eyes and looked back at me. "I'll be gone this weekend, probably back Sunday night."

"Alright. Have fun," I said and sat down at my desk. When Jasper didn't move, I looked back at him. He was still standing there watching me. "What?"

"I think that what you're doing is very admirable, Edward," Jasper said quietly. "And I honestly believe that if Bella knew about the choices you made, she would appreciate it. So would Rosalie and Alice."

"Thank you," I said shyly.

He nodded and turned around. He patted Emmett's back before leaving the room. Once he had left, Emmett turned around and looked at me.

"Do you think he's really going to Texas?" he asked quietly.

"Where else would he be going?" I shrugged and looked at my brother. "You are really taking this paranoia thing above and beyond."

His eyebrows pulled together and he looked at me for a second before looking over his shoulder. He watched the doorway that Jasper had just walked through and shook his head.

"I just know he's hiding something. I can feel it."

"Let it go, Emmett," I advised and shook my head. "If he is hiding something, he will tell us when he's ready."

"Or I can figure out what he's doing and make him tell me," Emmett offered as a solution. "I just don't like being left out of the loop."

I watched in mild amusement and complete embarrassment as my brother snuck his way down the hallway. I didn't have to see him to know that he was probably listening through the door. It also didn't come as a shock when I heard the door open and Jasper and Emmett started arguing.

"I'm onto you, Jasper Whitlock!" Emmett yelled. The door slammed shut and Emmett stalked back into the living room. "Oh, he's definitely hiding something."

** ** **

[ Jasper]

I sat in my beanbag chair, laptop on and searching for a flight. I'd already got the go-ahead to take a few days off work, as long as I checked in via phone every other day. I thought I'd have to give them some lame excuse, but my boss seemed pretty okay with me taking some time off. I thanked my lucky stars that the interview with the girls had gone so well—it seemed like this was opening all types of opportunity in my line of work.

Edward was out somewhere and Emmett was at work, so I knew this was the perfect chance to buy my tickets. Emmett was too suspicious of me, and it just wasn't the right time to tell him.

I clicked through some flight options and was excited when I found one for a good price that included a hotel. I typed in my credit card information and sent the confirmation to myself as well as Alice. I breathed a sigh of relief as I shut the lid on the computer. The next day I'd be leaving to see my girl and everything would be much better once I set foot in LA. I sat the laptop down on the coffee table and wiped my hand over my eyes, groaning as I heard the sound of keys in the door.

"Hey man," Emmett called out as he walked in.

"Hey," I said loudly.

He walked in and threw some stuff down on his desk. He picked a pile out of the trash can and waved it at me. "Did you throw these pictures of Bella in the trash?"

I shook my head. "No, maybe they fell in there by mistake. Put 'em back on Edward's desk before he gets all pissed off at us."

Emmett shook his head and set them back down. "So what's going on?" he asked as he sorted through the mail, throwing a stack towards me.

I picked them up and held back a groan. Bills. "Oh, not much, I'm going to head down to see my parents tomorrow for the weekend," I said, trying to act like it was no big deal.

"Are they alright?" he asked as he walked over to the television and turned it on.

"Yeah, I just haven't seen them in a while."

He turned on his Wii and I shook my head as I walked back towards Edward's room to get some of my stuff. I pulled out my duffle bag and started shoving stuff into it, running back and forth between the living room and the laundry room. I wanted to make sure I had everything I needed.

"Jasper, stop coming in here! You're messing with my chi!"

"Do you even know what your chi is, Emmett?"

I noticed Edward was in the room and I gave him a nod.

He glared at us before he shrugged and smiled. "No, but it sounded good, didn't it?"

"Do you think doing weird statue poses is going to make you lose weight or something, Em?"

He rolled his eyes at me. "Well it's a good thing I didn't ask for your opinion, right? Whatever happened to being supportive of each other, Douchesper?"

I punched his arm lightly. "Settle down, I'm just giving you a hard time."

"Why did you guys get these out of the trash can?" Edward asked, waving the pictures in his hand.

I wrinkled my eyebrows together, confused.

"Did you really mean to throw those away?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah, I don't…I don't want them anymore."

"Why don't you want them anymore?" I was truly surprised that Edward was getting rid of his Bella pictures and articles. Was he done with Bella? What would happen if things with Alice and me continued to work out? Would it be awkward around them?

Edward went on to explain that he didn't want to be _that_ guy anymore and I realized that he wasn't letting Bella go—he was simply trying to be a better man. I couldn't have been more proud of him, and even Emmett for that matter. They were changing right before my eyes. I even told Edward so. This was a huge move for him. I patted Emmett's back as I took off for the laundry room again, finishing up my packing. I sent Alice a text message, telling her how excited I was to see her.

I felt like such a girl when it came to this woman, but for the most part I didn't care. I finally understood what my mom always rambled on about--how it felt when you met 'The One.' And even if Alice didn't feel the same way towards me, I just knew that there would never be anyone else for me that was quite like her. She texted me back and said she was just as excited as I was. I was smiling like a fool when Emmett burst into the room and I tried to slide my iPhone back in my pocket before he could get any ideas.

"What the hell, man…privacy much?" I yelled.

"I am onto you, Jasper Whitlock!"

I flipped him off and pushed him out the door, slamming it shut in his face. Perhaps I would have to sleep with one eye open tonight—Emmett was really starting to creep me out.

** **

I groaned when my alarm clock went off bright and early at 6 am. It felt like I had just fallen asleep. I sat up and folded my blanket and put it and my pillow back in the closet. Living on the couch was starting to suck. I told myself that I'd have to start looking into an apartment or something when I got back. Maybe Emmett, Edward and I could get a three-bedroom somewhere.

I shuffled into the kitchen, chugged a glass of orange juice and snagged a banana and granola bar for the ride to the airport. I changed into jeans and a t-shirt, slipped on my boots and sunglasses, and locked the door. I tossed my bag into the passenger seat of my truck and turned on the radio.

"And in celebrity news, did you all hear about Alice Brandon's new photo shoot? She's signed up to do a campaign with Red Bull…and the catch of it all is-- she'll be naked!"

My head whipped to the stereo and my heart started beating fast.

"She's going to be covered in paint, so it won't be completely nude, but the internet is all a flutter about this!"

I tuned out the announcers as I tried not to break off the steering wheel with my bare hands. Alice hadn't mentioned this to me at all. And I was pissed off. I mean, how many men would be staring at her nude body underneath that paint?!

I stewed all the way to the airport, my mind racing with why Alice had failed to mention this to me. I parked in the long-term parking and grabbed my bag, taking the shuttle over to the check-in desks. While I waited in line, I combed the internet, looking for more information about this photo shoot. I found myself wondering why Edward hadn't told me about this—I mean, this would be big news for his site, right?

I forwarded a link to him with a message asking him to contact me if he found more information. I stepped up to the desk to check-in and the man smiled at me.

"How can I help you today, sir?"

I pulled out my I.D. and laid it on the counter. "My name is Jasper Whitlock and I'll be flying to Los Angeles, California, today. I have one bag that I'm checking," I said quickly, not wanting to waste any time.

He pulled up my file and typed silently for a few minutes before weighing my bag and tagging it. I paid the extra fee to check my bag and he slid my boarding pass across the counter.

"Your flight departs in one hour and will be boarding soon. You'll need to go to gate C-3 after you go through security. Thank you for flying with us, Mr. Whitlock, and have a nice trip."

I thanked him and slid my credit card and I.D. back into my wallet. I went through security, where I had to remove my boots and was frisked because my belt buckle kept setting off the alarm. I finally made it through security and had a few moments to spare before boarding. I wandered through the gift shop, grabbing some snacks and a small gift for Alice. It was somewhat cheesy, but I didn't care.

I boarded the plane and shoved my headphones into my ears, letting the next few hours pass me by in a whirl of music and sleep. I woke up just as the plane was landing and I felt groggy, knowing a warm shower at my hotel would work wonders on me.

I got off the plane and waited for my bag, studying all the other people around me. Everyone looked like they were from somewhere else. Maybe LA was a big melting pot of tourists. I just hoped that my weekend here would let me get some answers and spend quality time with Alice.

I grabbed my bag and picked up a taxi, heading towards the hotel. I texted Alice on my way there, letting her know where I was staying. She texted me back that she'd meet me in a little while, allowing me to settle in.

I took a long, hot shower, enjoying the water as it smoothed out my sore muscles from the plane. I changed into some clean clothes and lay on the bed, closing my eyes as the soft mattress seemed to take me away to a happy place. After weeks of sleeping on the couch, I was really looking forward to a few nights in this big bed.

I must have fallen asleep because I jolted awake to the sound of a knock on my door. I sat up and ran my fingers through my hair, rushing to the door. I whipped it open and couldn't contain the grin that came across my face.

"Alice," I whispered, feeling like I could breathe properly for the first time in weeks.

She walked in, pulling her hat and large sunglasses off her face. She looked up at me and smiled, her hand clasping in mine. "Jasper," she said quietly.

I shut the door behind her and pulled her into the living room, sitting her down on the couch. She looked at me curiously and I rushed back to my bag, pulling out the gift from Olympia. I held it behind my back and walked over to her slowly.

"Jasper, what's going on?" she asked.

I smiled. "I got you something today while I was at the airport…it's nothing big, but it reminded me of you, so I wanted you to have it." Slowly I pulled the little stuffed animal wearing a "Someone in Olympia loves me" t-shirt. Only the word 'love' was a little heart.

She squealed and jumped up, hugging it to her chest. "A monkey—how cute! Oh, this is so perfect!" she cried. She tossed it down on the couch and hugged me, looking up at me with a big grin on her face. "Thank you," she said.

I leaned down and softly kissed her lips. Alice Brandon was like magic—you didn't know how the whole trick worked, but you were so amazed by what you were seeing that the logistics weren't important—you just wanted more.

Her hands tightened around me, pulling my body into her. I felt so complete in that moment. She smelled like warm cookies and apple pie, and it reminded me of home. And then it hit me.

_Alice Brandon was home._

I pulled away and smiled at her, leaning my forehead against hers. "I missed you," I said, sounding like a sap.

She nodded. "Missed you, too."

I held her at arms' length and inspected her. "You didn't get hurt the other night, did you?"

"No, no injuries. We're fine, I promise."

I pulled her to me again and hugged her tightly. This girl was quickly becoming my entire world.

We sat down on the couch and she snuggled into me, playing with the hem of my t-shirt. "So, do you have a lot of work to do this weekend?" I asked.

"I've got a photo shoot and the band is playing on Saturday night, but other than that, I'm free."

"Who's the photo shoot with?" I asked, feeling my anger resurfacing.

"Red Bull," she said casually.

I pulled back to look at her. "You mean the one where you're naked?"

She shrugged. "I won't be naked; I'll be covered in body paint."

"Alice," I started, but she shushed me.

"It's not a big deal, Jasper. Seriously, the painter is a woman and it's all very tasteful. It's artistic; plus, it's a good chance for me to get myself out there aside from the _Angels _films."

My heart was beating fast. "Why didn't you tell me about this? I had to hear about it on the radio this morning," I growled.

"Because it's not a big deal to me; I mean, yes, this is a good career move, but it's also a chance to express myself with art. I love art, and you know that—whether it's music, acting, or paintings. I don't see this as something degrading or slutty."

I felt myself try to relax as she explained it to me but I still had reservations. "I just…I don't want these other men staring at you like a piece of meat."

"I can't stop men from looking at me, Jasper. It's life. But what I can do is promise you that I'm not looking at them. They don't hold any interest to me. Please, please, don't be upset about this."

"I just wish you'd told me. I don't want you to feel like you can't share things with me," I said sadly.

"I'm sorry, I guess I just didn't think it would be this big of a deal for us." She looked at her watch. "I've got to get going if I'm going to make this shoot. Come back to my place with me? Bella will be there, and I know she'd be excited to have some company."

I nodded. "Alright, as long as she wouldn't mind babysitting me," I said with a wink, poking her in the side.

She laughed. "Oh, Jasper, you're so silly." She stood up and put her hat and sunglasses back on.

I smiled at her as I tugged on my old army jacket. The sunglasses were swallowing her face, and she looked like she had large bug eyes. I laughed and she shook her head at me.

"Put a hat on, too, just in case the paparazzi are out," she said sadly.

I nodded and pulled an old, battered baseball cap out of my duffle, tugging it on over my hair. I turned and posed for Alice, who giggled.

"C'mon there, mister," she said in her exaggerated Southern accent as we headed downstairs to the car that she had brought. I climbed in and we chatted all the way to her house. I caught her up on things back in Olympia and she told me about some new songs that the band had been recording.

We walked into her apartment, and I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but what I saw was not it. The door opened to the living room, which had a few beat-up couches and instruments everywhere. There had to have been at least 10 guitars, two drum sets, a keyboard and some brass instruments. There were microphones and wires everywhere, and a computer in the corner, where I saw Betty J. sitting, a pair of headphones almost swallowing her.

The place wasn't filthy but it wasn't necessarily that clean, either. Chip bags and drink cans were littered everywhere, amongst tons of monkeys, which I guess had been given to them by their fans. The walls were covered in pictures of them from concerts and with fans, as well as art that had been made for them.

"Hey!" Alice called, throwing her hat and sunglasses on a countertop somewhere.

Bella came walking in from down the hall, the bathroom or something, and smiled shyly when she saw me. "Hi," she said.

I nodded and smiled back at her. "Hey, Bella."

Alice was fluttering around, picking up an occasional scarf or piece of trash. "Sorry about the mess, we kinda just let ourselves go when we don't have to be all made up and pretty," she said with a wink as she threw some trash in a bag.

"Don't worry about it. I live with two guys—trust me; we know how to dirty up a place."

Bella laughed and walked over to Betty, who shared the headphones with her. They began talking animatedly and clicking the mouse around, making adjustments. I watched them with a smile on my face, enjoying seeing them work together.

Alice squeezed my hand, effectively bringing me back to reality. "I'll be back in a few hours."

I nodded and smiled at her, squeezing her hand back. She hollered at the other girls and walked out, letting the door slam behind her. I went and sat down on one of the couches, wincing as I heard chips crumbling beneath me.

Bella was humming some tune and Betty was listening intently, making changes on the computer. She played a clip back and they both nodded, high-fiving each other. I fiddled with the zipper on my jacket and eyed the guitars around the room. They all looked so worn in and well-played, my fingers itched to pick one up and strum.

Bella sat down across from me, her hand running through her hair. "How've you been?"

I shrugged. "Decent. Busy at work and all. And then just hanging around with Edward and Emmett."

She nodded. "That sounds great. It must be nice just to sit back and relax sometimes."

"Yes, it can be. Look, I'm real sorry about what happened to you and Alice the other night…"

She bit her lip, thinking. "Thanks, but it's not your fault. This stuff happens all the time. It was just…so real that time. I know that being a celebrity means I have to give up certain freedoms, but…"

I shook my head. "No, that was inexcusable. I hope you know that the fans out there are pretty pissed off about it."

"Yea, I was talking to my mum the other day, and she mentioned that there were a few websites that had made their opinions known."

I nodded.

"Edward's site was one that she was telling me about, actually. I went and checked it out myself. It's very…informative."

I swallowed. "Yes, Edward's very organized and well-planned out. He was very upset to hear what happened to y'all the other night. I don't think I've seen him that upset since…" I wanted to say, _since the pictures of her and Jacob whispering at some concert showed up_, but I held my tongue to spare him further embarrassment, "…a long time. Edward's very passionate about things that are important to him. He may seem a little bit…overzealous…but I promise you, he's harmless. He's been a great friend to me, and I don't think I'd be half the man I am today if I didn't have him as part of my support system."

She took it all in, processing the information I had given her. I hoped that maybe, with time, I could convince her that Edward wasn't as odd and weird as everyone made him out to seem. He was just so nervous when he met Bella, and I didn't want that to be the only impression she got of him.

"Well, I appreciate him taking a stand against the paparazzi. It's nice to see that there are people out there who are looking out for us," she said quietly.

I smiled, noticing that she referred to Edward as 'people' and not a 'fan' and thought maybe this was a good sign for him. I nodded towards the guitars. "D'ya think Alice would mind if I borrowed one of these?"

"Go ahead, man, knock yourself out," Betty said, biting into a stick of beef jerky. I laughed to myself, thinking of how much she reminded me of Emmett.

I pulled a guitar from its stand and began strumming it, closing my eyes and letting the music take me away. I started playing "Run Around" by Blues Traveler, and smiled when I heard Bella joining in with her voice and later on in the song, on the bongo drums. I laughed as she got real into it, dancing with her shoulders. I started dancing, too, pretending to be a rock star, pouting my lips and making ridiculous faces between the verses.

After the song was over, we laid back against the couches, laughing at each other and breathing heavy. "That was awesome," Bella said, "I haven't had that much fun in a while."

My fingers automatically started picking at the strings again, a slow and soft sounding song. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the melody.

"What song is this? I don't think I know it," Bella said, curling up in a ball at the end of the couch.

"It's mine. I've been working on it since I came back from Vancouver…it just came to me and I can't get it out of my head."

Bella smiled knowingly. "Could it be about a certain someone?"

I smiled sheepishly. "You caught me…I think I'm in love with Esme."

Bella let out a huge laugh, doubling over. "Oh, Jasper, you're hilarious."

I winked at her and switched over to a song that I knew she would know. I heard Betty holler out "oh shit!" as she ran over and started clapping to the beat. Bella started dancing and grabbed a tambourine, getting into the beat. I began to strum "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress" by The Hollies. We all started jamming out and Betty was really getting into it. We were laughing at each other and generally having a great time when Alice walked in and slung her purse on the counter. She grabbed some maracas and started playing along with us, dancing around the room.

Once it was over, Betty let out a loud whoop and threw her fist in the air. "Oh, man, Jasper, you can play!"

I blushed. "I just mess around—nothing major…"

Alice hit me playfully on the shoulder. "If you were a girl, I'd totally ask you to become a Spider Monkey."

Bella laughed and smiled towards me. "Anytime you wanna record something together, I'd totally be down for it."

I nodded. "Thank. That sounds like it'd be fun."

"Definitely, Jasper. You've got to come lay down some tracks with us here at the Monkey house."

I shrugged, putting the guitar back on the stand. "Sounds cool."

Alice smiled, taking a seat next to me. Bella fiddled with her cell phone for a few moments before she announced she had to go meet with her manager, and Betty claimed that she had to meet up with Aunt Linda, leaving Alice and I alone.

I turned to her after everyone left. "So, darlin', can I take you out to dinner?" I asked, trying to be a formal gentleman.

She smiled and started playing with my fingers. "Thank you, Jasper, that's really sweet. But I've got a better idea."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really, what is that?"

"We can go back to your hotel, order room service, and watch a movie."

I thought my heart was going to stop. "Are you sure?" I asked. I didn't want her to think that I was trying to get her into bed or anything.

She nodded. "Yeah, once the girls come back it's going to be loud here. And not that I don't want to be seen out in public with you and all, but it's just, with all the paparazzi issues going on right now and all…"

I put my hand on top of hers. "Alice, it's alright. I just didn't want you to think I was trying to lure you back to my hotel."

She raised an eyebrow. "Well, let the record show, it was I who lured you back to your own room."

I laughed at her and we got into her car and drove back to the hotel. We snuck in unnoticed and collapsed on the couch, laughing at our successful attempt at being stealth. I tossed her the room service menu and we picked out a few things to share. Alice was browsing through the television for a movie to watch and I changed into some sleep pants. I offered her a t-shirt and boxers and she thanked me, changing in the bathroom while the food came. I put the meals on the coffee table, setting it up in a buffet style. She came back out and smiled, modeling my clothes for me.

I whistled lowly and winked at her. "You look better in those than I do."

She came over and made a plate, curling up next to me while we turned on _Hitch_. When I questioned Alice on her choice, she shrugged her shoulders and said, "It's a movie for girls and guys."

I nodded and ate my dinner, pushing my plate to the side when I was done. Alice snuggled into my arm and I just enjoyed having her near me. After a while she began to laugh less at the funny parts and I looked down to find her sleeping soundly. I wasn't sure of what would be the gentlemanly thing to do, but I picked her up and put her in the bed. I kissed her forehead softly as I pulled the covers around her tiny little body.

I smiled at her before I walked over to the couch, settling in to my usual routine. I almost laughed at the irony of flying to LA and somehow still sleeping on a couch. I turned off the television and closed my eyes, relaxing because I knew that my own personal Angel was sleeping in the room next to me.

I'm not sure how long I was asleep, but sometime in the middle of the night I felt a small hand on my shoulder. I opened my eyes a crack and saw Alice staring at me. She curled up next to me on the couch, snuggling into my arms.

"There's a big comfy bed over there that you can sleep in," I said groggily.

"I know," she whispered, "but I'd rather be here with you."

I pulled her close to my body and let my lips cross her forehead again. "Night, darlin."

She exhaled a breath against my chest and cuddled in closer, mumbling some words I couldn't make out.

_God, how I loved this woman._

** ** **

**JFI: **Whats this? A reformed Edward? A reformed Emmett? What is the world coming to?!?! Fear not my friends, there are still many antics left to pull and several security walls to climb over. We are just getting to the good stuff! Viva La Fanboy!

**LMW:** I think I speak for everyone when I give a collective 'awww' for Jasper and Alice. And lookie there, we got some Edward POV! I know you all were wondering where he was last chapter. Thanks for all the continued support! Every day that I get something in my inbox, I feel so blessed and loved! Thanks!

**Question: What's your favorite picture of someone in the saga? We wanna know which one sets your heart a racing!**


	20. Secrets Don't Make Friends

**Disclaimer: We own this plot and our boys. We do not own Twilight... even trade.**

[ Jasper ]

I woke up with a kink in my neck, which was weird; I figured by now that I'd have gotten used to sleeping on a couch. Trying to move my arm, I found that I was pinned down. I opened one eye, keeping the other one shut tightly. _Why was it so light in here? And where was Emmett? Why wasn't he kicking me or poking me by now?_

I looked down and found Alice clinging to me, her nose tucked into my chest. She was snoring lightly and I smiled at her. Now I remembered where I was—in California. In a hotel. With Alice.

Alone.

I wrestled my hand free and ran my fingers through her messy, dark hair. She looked so peaceful, and I couldn't help but wonder if she always looked like that when she slept, or if somehow it was me being near her that relaxed her. I hoped for the latter.

Across the room I heard my phone buzzing and I held back a groan. It was Saturday, and I'd been gone for over a day now. It could only be one person.

Emmett.

I was stuck underneath Alice and I didn't want to wake her. I'd read in interviews that she only slept a few hours a night so I didn't want to disturb her. Laying my head back on the couch and closing my eyes, I smiled to myself.

I must have fallen back asleep and when I woke up, my body jumped at the feel of small fingernails scratching against my stomach. "Good morning," I said sleepily.

Alice giggled. "Good _afternoon_," she teased.

"What? What time is it?" I asked, sitting up, bringing her with me.

"A little after twelve."

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to sleep so late!"

"It's okay; I just woke up about twenty minutes ago, anyway."

I stared at her. "I thought you only slept a few hours a night."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "You read a lot of interviews, don't you? That's cute. And it's true. But last night, I guess I was just so comfortable that I didn't wake up." A light blush flared up on her cheeks and I resisted the urge to tease her. Her fingers tried to make quick work of my hair, which I'm sure looked like a Chia Pet.

"Let me get a shower and we can get some lunch or something," I said as I stood up and walked over to my duffle bag, pulling out some clothes as I looked over at her. She was grinning.

"Your phone kept ringing. I didn't want it to wake you up, so I kinda…answered it," she said in a rushed tone.

I raised an eyebrow. "Who was it, darlin'?"

The blush crept on her cheeks again. "It was your mom."

My heart jumped a double-beat. "Is she alright?"

She nodded. "Oh, yeah, she's fine. She was just wondering where you were at because Emmett kept calling and looking for you. She told him you were visiting your grandpa, by the way. I didn't realize I looked so good for being so old," Alice winked and I laughed.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I just…well, you know. I didn't want to say anything to the guys until I knew what was really going on and all…" I rambled, digging my fingers into the fabric of the clothes in my hand.

"She seems like a sweet lady, Jasper. Very curious, though; she asked a lot of questions. But I think we're cool now."

Of course Mama would attack her—she wasn't really fond of Ann and I'd only brought two girls home in my life; one being Ann and another girl named Jennifer who I'd met doing volunteer work one summer in Georgia. Mama must have been curious to hear Alice's voice—plus, I was sure Alice had been as sweet as pie, too.

I nodded towards her. "Well, great, at least that part's out of the way now. I'll have to call her back later and say hello." I walked into the bathroom and took a quick shower, shaking my hair out like a wet dog when I was done. I mussed it up with my fingers and changed, tossing my dirty clothes to the side of my bag.

Alice was sitting on the couch, staring at something in her hands. I walked over and kissed her forehead, tucking myself in next to her. "Juicy Fruit?" I asked.

"Yeah, I was just thinking how disappointing it is now that they've changed to the paper wrappers. I know they are being environmentally conscious and all, and I'm definitely all for helping the planet, but the gum just doesn't taste as good as it did with the foil wrapper."

I laughed to myself and beamed at her. "You're fantastic, you know that?"

"Me? Oh, come on, I was just talking about gum wrappers."

But Alice didn't understand, and I wasn't sure if she ever would—Juicy Fruit was a prominent force in my life—as stupid as it sounded, I was about as addicted to that gum as I was to her. I smiled at her. "C'mon, let's go get something to eat."

We left the hotel and I drove through an In-N-Out Burger that Alice squealed for, and we took it back to the apartment, grabbing a few extras in case any of the other girls were there. It was a good thing we did because we were ambushed as soon as we walked in with the bag.

Jena started doing some sort of 'happy dance' that Alice had come up with, and Betty G. was singing "Oh Happy Day." We handed them some 'Double-doubles' and they took off for the living room, chatting about what songs they wanted to perform later at the show.

Alice and I sat on some worn out barstools in the kitchen and shared a milkshake—vanilla, because we found out we both liked the same flavor. I told her about my parents and what they were like, and what it was like growing up in Texas. In return, Alice told me about her family and life in Mississippi. It was easy conversation and it really felt like I'd known Alice my whole life.

After lunch we all hung around and jammed out again, coming up with a song we wrote called 'Animal Style' in honor of In-N-Out Burger. It was funny and upbeat, and the girls were so excited about it they promised to play it at one of their next shows.

Soon the rest of the gang showed up and Macy started loading up their van full of equipment. I offered to help and we chatted a little while we worked. Macy told me about their plans for an upcoming US Tour, since Alice's popularity from the _CA_ series had given them more exposure. After a while we had it loaded and Alice asked me to come to the show. I rode over in the van with them as they joked around and sang songs like "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts" and "Ten Little Monkeys," which they changed the words to "Ten Little Spider Monkeys." You could tell they really enjoyed what they did and spending their time together.

Macy told me to go backstage and hang out because if fans saw me helping them unload, there could be trouble. I nodded and walked to the back, sitting down on a dusty looking couch. Alice came in and handed me a glass full of some kind of liquor. I raised an eyebrow and she smiled.

"Vodka and Red Bull."

_This woman was gonna kill me with her perfection._

I hung out backstage until it was almost time for the show. I told Alice I wanted to go out front and watch the show with the fans. I took off my "VIP" bracelet and left it on the table, not wanting to be conspicuous. I kissed her on the cheek and walked out the back door, circling the building. The guy at the door made me pay to get in, but I willingly gave him my money, wanting to help out the girls in any way that I could. I entered and headed over to the bar, grabbing another Vodka and Red Bull before milling around the audience. A few girls came over and talked to me, surprised to see me there. Although the girls in the band were all very attractive, not many single men came out to the shows. I guess they didn't want to look like "fanboys." I smiled inwardly at this, feeling better about Alice's upcoming tour.

"Jasper Whitlock, is that you?!" I heard someone call. My stomach dropped. How could someone recognize me in a dark club in California?

I turned around and saw one of my old friends, Garrett, walking over to me. He clapped me on the back. "Hey, man, what the hell are you doing here?" he asked, a huge grin on his face.

I gave him a friendly nod. "Hey, Garrett, it's been ages, hasn't it? I'm just down here on an assignment."

He raised an eyebrow. "You're still living up in Washington State, aren't you? That's a long way to travel for assignment…" he said suspiciously.

I wanted to choke him. He was just as nosey as Emmett was, and I knew that occasionally they talked. I had to come up with something to sway Garrett otherwise he'd be joining Team Emmett on their hunt to take me down.

"Yea, but I recently was assigned to cover VanCon, which featured the stars from the _Carlisle's Angels_ movies, and my boss wanted me to check out one of the girls' band. Seems our station is picking up some notoriety and now we're getting bigger stories. It's kind of under wraps right now, so please don't say anything to anyone?"

He looked at me for a second before nodding. "Well that's great news! Maybe we'll be seeing more of you around this place! I'm taking some photos for the article I'm writing about celebrities who use fame to boost their music careers."

I nodded, inside seething with hate for this man. He had _no_ idea what he was talking about, saying Alice used her celebrity status to boost her band. Shit, half the time the other girls did shows without her because she was filming. And their shows were just as popular without her. Garrett had a lot of nerve, sticking his nose in other people's business.

A group of girl fans came over and started talking with us, trying to flirt because they had overheard we were with the press. I wanted to roll my eyes but played nice for Alice's sake. I knew how important this all was to her.

The girls came on and played for almost 2 hours, even playing the "Animal Style" song and laughing almost all the way through. They were sweaty, but the fans seemed to have a great time, shouting out words like "cookies" and "jump rope" for improv songs. A bunch of the fans stayed after to meet the band, and I hung around talking to a few of them with Garrett. He was excited to go backstage and get some pictures of them, inviting me to come with him.

I shook my head. "No thanks, man, I got to ask them a few questions earlier. I'm just gonna head back to my hotel." I pulled out my phone and texted Alice, telling her about my plans. She asked me to meet her in the back alley real quick before I left. I said goodbye to Garrett and walked around the corner. Alice was standing behind a dumpster, her head peeking out around the corner. I walked over and smiled at her.

"Great show," I said lamely.

She smiled. "Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. So you're going back to your room?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I have an old friend hanging around to talk to y'all, and I don't want him to get suspicious."

She nodded. "Would you…maybe want me to…come by later?"

I grinned. "Alice, I always want you to come around."

She hugged me tightly and I kissed the top of her forehead. Her lips met mine and we kissed for a few minutes until I pulled back.

"You should go in, they're waiting for you," I said, squeezing her hand with mine.

"Alright, I'll see you in a little bit." She walked back inside after giving me another hug.

I was on cloud nine as I walked away towards the hotel. I was in such a daze I don't think I'd noticed anything that was going on around me.

** **

When I got back to the hotel, I gave in and called Emmett. I figured he'd all but bought a plane ticket to Texas by now, so sure he wouldn't find me when he got there. I waited while the phone rang two, three times before he picked up.

"Emmett Cullen," he said.

I sighed. "Emmett, its Jasper."

"Oh, my old friend," he said sarcastically.

"Shut the hell up."

"How's Grandpa Whitlock?"

"He's fine."

"And Mama Whitlock? Ask her to send you back with some of those granola bars she makes. Those have got to be healthy."

"Emmett, I can't really talk right now, I just wanted to check in so you'd stop calling around for me."

"How's the weather?"

_Fuck. He was too smart._ "Oh, it's nice."

"Uh huh," he said, humming in the back of his throat. "You know what would be great? If you could get some of those cookies from that little bakery in your town--I'm sure Edward would really be happy if you brought some of them home."

"Emmett, I am not bringing home a ton of food. I can't bring it on the plane and I only brought my duffle bag. It'll all get crushed. I can have my mom ship some if you want it that bad."

"You coming back tomorrow?"

"Yes, my plane gets in late afternoon."

"Alright. Put Mama on the phone."

"Emmett, she's asleep. It's late."

"I wanna say hi," he said.

"No, I'm not waking her up so you can entertain this stupid idea that I'm not in Texas. Goodnight." I hung up on him and threw myself on the bed. Emmett was too damn smart for his own good.

I changed into pajama pants and a t-shirt before lying back on the bed. I was surfing the internet on my phone when there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find Alice standing there with a scarf wrapped around her face and large sunglasses on. At night.

I laughed. "Nice disguise," I mumbled as she walked past me and removed all the extras she was wearing. She plopped down on the couch with an exhausted sigh and a huge smile on her face.

"Tonight was so great," she said wistfully.

I sat down next to her and nodded. "Y'all were on fire up there."

"Your friend, Garrett? He seemed alright."

"I wouldn't trust him too much. He's writing an article about how you're using your status to help your band."

She put her hand on top of mine. "I know. I'm not that naïve. But I also don't care what he thinks, because he doesn't know me, and he most likely never will."

"How do you do it all with such grace?" I asked in awe.

She shrugged. "I just know who I am and what I do things for. I don't care what tabloids or newspapers say about me. At the end of the day, they aren't the ones whose opinion matters." She let out a small yawn and I grabbed her hand, pulling her up.

"Come on, we're going to sleep now. I have an early flight tomorrow and you could use some sleep." I pulled down the covers and tossed her some more of my clothes to borrow. She changed and came back, tip toeing into the other side. She scooted close to me and looked up with big, glassy eyes.

"Don't be sad, Alice. It won't be long until we see each other again."

She nodded. "I know, but I just don't want to be without you at all. I've waited so long for this, for you."

I kissed her sweet lips and tucked her under my chin. "I know, I have, too. We'll figure this all out."

My heart was breaking at the thought of leaving her, and knowing that she was just as upset as I was didn't help things. I fell asleep after watching her for a while, memorizing every detail of her perfect face.

** **

Alice had called for a car to come pick us up as we rode to the airport. She wasn't going to be able to get out at LAX, as it was usually crowded with paparazzi, but she wanted to at least see me off. I held her hand tightly, my thumb rubbing circles on top of hers. We were silent most of the way and her head leaned on my arm as she picked at the frayed pocket of my jeans.

We pulled up to the drop-off and she looked up at me as a tear rolled down her cheek. I brushed it away and leaned in to softly kiss her lips. "I'll call you when I get in," I promised.

"Jasper, I…I'm really going to miss you," she sniffled.

"With every breath in my body, I promise I will come back to you," I choked out.

She kissed me again and I opened the door, crawling out and grabbing my bag. I didn't dare turn around and look again—not that I could see inside the car. The windows were tinted for her safety. I checked my bag and walked towards the terminal, sitting down after grabbing a cup of coffee. I watched the television, catching up on news that I had missed over the weekend.

An hour later I boarded my flight and felt heartbroken as we touched down in Washington. I was already missing my girl, and the farther I got from her, the bigger the hole felt in my chest.

I drove home listening to their newest CD, _Strawberry_, which I had bought at the show. The girls' voices made me feel more at home and I relaxed some. I knew I was overreacting—I would see her again. We would be together again.

I got home to find an empty house. Emmett's car was in the driveway, but I figured he must be out running or something. I went upstairs to Edward's room and he was nowhere to be found either. I dropped my bag on the floor and pulled the window up. I dialed Alice's number and was relieved when she picked up.

"Jasper," she said sadly.

"Hi, darlin', I'm back in Washington now." I could no longer call this place home. Home was wherever Alice was.

"This place is so empty without you."

"I know, but remember I promised-" I heard a rustling outside and walked out onto the patio. There was Emmett, hanging onto the trellis, trying to climb up towards the window. "Let me call you back later, okay? I just gotta check on something."

She agreed and I hung up, sliding my phone into my back pocket. I leaned over the side with a shocked look on my face. "Emmett! What the hell do you think you're doing?" I shouted.

"Bird watching. The red-breasted swallow is a rare creature, asshole."

"Uh huh," I mumbled as I walked back inside.

I gave him the finger and shut the door, locking it. I texted Alice, letting her know I was safe, but that Emmett was snooping around. She responded back, telling me that eventually he was going to find out, but I could tell him whenever I wanted.

My fingers itched to type a declaration of love, but I knew that was a tacky way to say it to her for the first time. She deserved better than that. Much better.

The front door opened and Edward called my name. I smiled as I walked towards the living room. As much as I missed Alice, part of me was still happy to be back with my friends.

I couldn't wait to tell them the truth about me and Alice one day. And hopefully when I did, things could be good for them, too.

** **

[ Emmett ]

As I ran up the last hill of our running route, I belted out the loud and offensive lyrics to the song I was listening to. Edward rolled his eyes but kept running next to me. I laughed but had to admit that both Edward and Jasper had been pretty helpful as far as the whole diet and exercise thing was going.

When we reached the entrance into the complex I saw Jasper's truck and immediately pulled the earbuds out of my ear. "Lookie who's back."

Edward, being Edward, groaned and rolled his eyes. "Emmett, you are really pushing this whole… Jasper conspiracy thing."

"Bullshit, Edward." I shook my head. We slowed to a walk as both of us tried to catch our breath. "I don't hide shit from you guys."

"Because you don't have anything to hide," Edward laughed. He stopped and grabbed my arm, stopping me, too. "Listen Emmett, whatever Jasper is or isn't doing is not any of our business. If he wanted us to know then he would tell us. Leave it alone before you end up ruining your friendship with him."

Edward let go of my arm and made his way towards the front door. I shook my head and followed behind him. Edward just didn't understand. I literally hated being left out of the loop; it was like his OCD tendencies that he couldn't help. I couldn't help my slight paranoia. I guess it all went back to the root of all evil, Heidi. Had I paid better attention, I would have seen that she was screwing around with Peter. I could have saved myself a lot of heartache. It wasn't like Jasper was going to break my heart or anything, but I just hated being lied to. I hated being kept in the dark and I knew that Jasper was hiding something.

I rolled my neck, trying to relieve the stiffness in my muscles, but stopped when I saw Jasper on the balcony to our apartment. I stood and watched him for a second and narrowed my eyes. He had some lovesick smile on his face, and, if I wasn't mistaken, he was blushing. If he was fucking around with Ann again I was going beat the shit out of him.

Deciding to take matters into my own hands, I carefully dropped my iPod on the ground and started climbing up the side of the patio. I was being considerably stealthy until my foot got stuck in the ivy that grew up the side of the building.

"Fuckin…" I muttered and stopped when Jasper's head leaned over the side. He hung up the phone and glared at me.

"Emmett! What the hell do you think you're doing?" he yelled.

"Bird watching," I gave him my best shit eating smile when he rolled his eyes. "The red breasted swallow is a rare creature, you asshole."

"Uh huh," he muttered before turning around and going back inside.

I laughed and dropped back down to the ground. I quickly grabbed my iPod and ran back inside. Shutting the door behind me, I smiled at Jasper's scowl.

"Who were you on the phone with?" I asked quickly.

"Not that it's any of your business, asstard, but I was letting my parents know that I was back safely."

"Hmm," I muttered and fell into my recliner. "And exactly how is Mama Whitlock? How is Bosco?"

"Emmett," Edward groaned and I ignored him.

"Why the hell are you asking about my parent's dog, Emmett?" Jasper picked a pen up off of his desk and started gnawing on the end of it. "Whatever you think you're gonna find out, you just need to stop."

"Are you fucking around with Ann again?" I asked bluntly. Edward's head whipped in Jasper's direction as Jasper started laughing. I wasn't deterred. "Well? Are you?"

"Uh no. Definitely not," Jasper laughed.

"You're hiding something, Jasper, and I will get to the bottom of it," I raised my eyebrow and pointed at him.

"Whatever you say, Chubs," Jasper nodded and started an in-depth discussion with Edward.

The next day after work and my evening workout, I walked into the house to find Angela and Edward working on the website. Jasper was in his beanbag texting with a smirk on his face.

I dropped my keys on the counter and decided that I needed to find a way to get Jasper's phone. Whatever he was hiding, there had to be clues to it on his phone. It was too bad that it was nearly always on him. I mean, I was a curious fucker, but I wasn't gonna reach into Jasper's back pocket just to get his phone out; it was gonna have to be when he was asleep or something.

"Oh my God," Angela said loudly.

"What?" Jasper and I asked at the same time.

Edward had a look of absolute panic on his face while he looked at Jasper and then slowly back to the computer. "Have you seen recent pictures of Alice?" he quietly asked Jasper.

Jasper's face paled slightly and he shook his head. He swallowed thickly before asking Edward, "Why?"

"I think… Alice has a boyfriend," Angela said quietly.

"There are pictures of her and some guy…" Edward started.

"WHAT?!" Jasper yelled and got out of that damn bean bag faster than I thought possible. He nearly knocked Angela over in his attempt to get to the monitor.

I walked to the desk, watching as Jasper's eyes widened from the images he saw. Leaning over the back of Edward's chair I saw a picture of Alice Brandon hugging some guy. They were in an alley or something, but it was so dark that it was hard to make it all out clearly.

Jasper straightened and his face screamed panic before it was quickly replaced with a calm indifference. "Just because they're hugging doesn't mean anything."

I leaned in, closer to the monitor, and looked at the guy she was hugging. He was tall and lanky, his hair was a lighter shade and incredibly shaggy.

I straightened up and glared at Jasper. He was avoiding my gaze, instead picking at the wood of Edward's desk.

"When were those pictures taken?" I asked Angela, still looking at Jasper.

"This past Saturday after their show," she muttered.

I could have sworn that Jasper's lips twitched. "Alice Brandon is free to date whoever she wants, but those pictures don't prove anything."

"Have you ever been to California, Jasper?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, when I was a kid," he muttered.

"Are you sure you weren't in LA last weekend, Jasper?" I asked with a smile.

Edward and Angela's eyes traveled back and forth between the two of us.

"Emmett, what the hell are you trying to say?" Jasper basically growled.

I shrugged and crossed my arms across my chest. "I'm just asking a friendly question."

"I went to Texas last weekend. Fucking _drop_ it, Emmett."

We all watched Jasper leave the room and I smiled before looking back at Edward. "Can you enlarge those?"

"No," he said plainly.

"What?" I yelled. "Why not?"

Edward sighed and pushed away from his desk. "Emmett, you know that I'm not posting pictures of them taken by the paparazzi."

I glared at his back as he walked to the kitchen. _What the fuck was wrong with everyone today?_

"How big do you want them?" Angela asked quietly.

"Is it possible to blow them up the size of a poster board?" I asked her. Her eyes widened before she looked back at Edward and up to me.

"I can have Copy Craft do it, it would be like thirty bucks probably," she whispered.

"How long will take to get them?" I asked.

She shrugged. "A couple of days?"

I nodded and winked at her. Edward came back and sat down, giving me an annoyed look. I smiled and sat down at my own desk and pulled open my fanfic document and started working on my next chapter.

Jasper was entirely too tense for things to be normal. The next day he was walking around with a permanent scowl on his face. It might have had something to do with the fact that I accidently woke him up while trying to get his phone away from him last night, or that I tried to sneak it out of the bathroom while he was showering. Either way, he was pissed.

While we all sat around and watched E! News, I watched his stressed appearance lessen slightly whenever he got a text message. But, it was all short-lived when a story about Alice and her 'mystery man' covered the TV screen. The second that the pictures of her in the alley came on the screen, his eyes tightened and his scowl became more prominent.

"Brandon's co-star in the lucrative _Carlisle's Angels_ franchise, Rosalie Hale, wasn't exactly tight-lipped about the pictures. Our staff caught up with her at the Nokia party last night."

The TV switched to Rosalie and I would be lying if I said my dick didn't twitch a little. Her lips were so fucking shiny and, _God_… I could still remember how she had smelled back in Vancouver. When she laughed I had to stifle a groan.

"Yeah, I've seen the pictures," she said with a laugh. "I hate to break it to everyone, but that was my cousin. He came to visit her show, and she was telling him goodbye before he left. Alice doesn't have some secret love life, but even if she did, I wouldn't comment on it."

The program continued to dissect the pictures of Alice and whoever the fuck it was that she was hugging, and the closer the pictures got, the more convinced I was that she was hugging Jasper.

It was too similar to how he looked—same stance, same height, and same fucking poofy ass hair. The mother fucker in that picture was Jasper Whitlock--either that or some jackass that looked exactly like him.

Edward got up to get another drink and I turned to look at Jasper. He was texting away, as usual, and looked a hell of a lot more relaxed now.

"If I find out that you're fucking related to Rosalie Hale and you never told me, I'm gonna beat the shit out of you. Just so we're clear."

Jasper looked back and me and rolled his eyes. "Why the hell do you think that's me?"

"Well, for one thing, you and Alice were awfully fucking cozy in Vancouver. Also, because I don't think for one fucking second that you were in Texas last weekend. Thirdly, that asshole in the picture looks just like you!"

Jasper swallowed and looked back at the TV. "You're paranoid, Emmett."

"Paranoid or not, I'm on to you," I warned him and went back to my desk.

The next day, during my lunch break, I went to Copy Craft and picked up the pictures that Angela had ordered for me. I leaned over the table, ignoring the creepy looks the girl was giving me. I was well aware that I probably looked like a creeptastic stalker right about now, having the Alice Brandon pictures blown up to these massive proportions, but I didn't care.

The girl balked when I asked her for a magnifying glass, but found me one anyway. I wasn't sure what I was looking for, but there had to be something that pin pointed that this was in fact, Jasper.

The pictures were blurry and distorted, not only because of the size, but because the alley had been so dark. Really, the only thing you could make out was the shoes of the dude, and Alice Brandon. I was about to give up when I saw a small fleck of yellow.

"YELLOW PAINT!" I yelled as I threw my fist up in victory. The girl behind the counter jumped at my sudden outburst but I ignored her, continuing my celebration. I nearly ripped my pocket off when I tried to get my phone out.

"Hello?" Edward muttered on the other end of the phone line.

"Is Jasper there?" I asked hurriedly.

"Yeah…"

"Put the phone on speaker phone!" I yelled loudly.

I heard the clicking of a few buttons before Edward told me I was on speaker.

"I'm calling a meeting tonight. I need Angela there, too!"

"Emmett, what…" Jasper started to interrupt me but I stopped him.

"Let's just say I have a breakthrough in the Alice Brandon case. See you tonight," I explained and hung up. I paid for my overly large pictures and carefully put them in my car.

I smiled smugly while I drove back to the nursing home. Jasper Fucking Whitlock was mine, and there was no way he could talk his way out of this.

** **

**JFI**: TADA! Now before you all send us reviews complaining that there isn't enough Edward… please, be patient. There will be more Edward. There will also be more Edward and Bella, more Emmett and Rosalie and more Alice and Jasper. We have a plan for this story, just please please, be patient. Nasty reviews aren't gonna make us rush the story.

**LMW:** Hello dear readers! Things are getting kinda crazy over at the Fort, eh? Thanks again to everyone for making this such a pleasure to write, and for all your support! I can't begin to thank you enough for your encouraging words!

--SUPER SPECIAL BONUS--

**Here is a little ditty we did for Sue from So You Think You Can Write's birthday. We thought you guys might like to read it!!**

**The scene: Stalking characters Emmett, Edward, Jasper, Alice, Bella, and Rosalie are sitting in director's chairs in front of a video camera.**

_Jasper smiles warmly._ Well, on behalf of the entire cast of Stalking, I'd like to say a big Happy Birthday to our pal, Sue!

_Emmett gives a reproachful stare to the craft table, eyeing the tray of Twinkies that Rosalie purposefully left for him to see. He sighs longingly.__ "_When do I say something? I'm hungry and I'm getting cranky."

_Edward glares at his brother and then gives a sappy and pathetic smile to Bella, who is staring around into space not paying attention at all. Alice nudges her arm, making her jump and paying attention to what is going on._

"I'm Bella Swan," _she says randomly._

_Rosalie laughs and turns to the camera, giving her sexy smile._ "Well, Sue, on behalf of the cast of _Carlisle's Angels_, we wanted to wish you a great birthday! We know you're a huge fan and a big supporter, so we hope your day is just as special as you are!

_She leans in closer to the camera and whispers loudly. _"And if you're gonna take one of those guys as a present, don't take Emmett. Your best bet is probably Jasper."

_Alice glares at her._ "Hey, don't be givin' away what isn't yours!"

"Why does everyone always choose Jasper?! I am way cooler than Jasper... just because the chicks who write Stalking haven't chosen to give away MY storyline yet doesn't make me less important...." _Emmett starts yelling. He is interrupted by Edward who gives him a humorless laugh.  
_  
"YOU?!?" REALLY?!?!" _Edward yells dramatically._ "I am the one getting screwed. They give me a lameass tattoo...I have an embarrassing...wet…dream...WHEN THE HELL WILL EDWARD GET HIS DAY?!"

_JustForkIt and LittleMissWhitlock bust into the room, breathing heavily. _

"We have a plan! Everyone just calm down!" _JFI yells. _

"And whoever tried to lock me out of this room is going to be really sorry for that in the next chapter," _LMW says, scanning her eyes across the row of chairs. No one makes eye contact except Alice, who waves excitedly._

_Emmett smiles at JFI._ "Sup, girl?"

_JFI walks in as a film assistant brings her a chair, seating her next to the guys. Jasper leans over and fist-bumps her as she settles in. LMW lets out a low growl until someone brings her a Red Bull and a chair of her own. She sits down and winks at Edward who smiles warmly._

_Bella looks at LMW and JFI before looking back at Edward._ "I'm the one who got my boob grabbed. I have been through more emotionally traumatic..."

_LMW sighs and mumbles,_ "Here we go again. Always the center of attention."

_Emmett laughs boisterously and pulls LMW into a headlock_. "You're my girl, Mel!"

"All I'm asking," _Bella yells loudly._ "Is that you don't make me have butt sex with Edward! I can handle anything but butt sex!"

_Edward chokes on the water he was sipping while Jasper and Alice both remind everyone that this is not a conversation about butt sex.  
_  
"Have you tried it?!?!?" _Emmett yells over the ruckus._

_Rosalie nods in agreement. Emmett sees her and gives her a ridiculous, yet slightly creepy smile._

_Rosalie looks to LMW and JFI_. "No. No. No. Save something for the sequel!"

_LMW makes a choking noise and narrows her eyes at Rosalie._ "If you don't stop talking about it, there won't be a sequel. Ever heard of a tragic accident?"

_Jasper leans over and looks at LMW_. "Don't do it, darlin'. I know you're better than that. We'll get you whatever you're wantin."

_LMW sighs_. "Damn you, Jasper, and your sensibility. And I want a convention named after me. Or a part in the next CA movie. I mean it. JFI and I work hard to bring you all to life. Can we just stop talking about butt sex?!"

_Alice nods._ "Yeah! I brought my guitar, anyone wanna jam?"  
_  
JFI gives Alice a sideways look_. "You're being a little too Jackson Rathbone right now. Let's tone it down a bit."

_LMW starts to protest, claiming her undying love and affection for Mr. Jackson Rathbone. She stops when JFI gives her a knowing stare._

_LMW throws her hands up in surrender_. "Whatever."

_Edward leans over closer to LMW and whispers something in her ear which makes her giggle. She looks over at Bella who is running her hand through her hair and busts out laughing. _

_Bella looks over, her eyebrows furrowed_. "What's funny?"

"Oh, nothing," _LMW says in a singsong voice. _

_Edward begins to stare a little too intently and LMW pinches his side, causing him to let out a girlish scream. Bella laughs at him and looks around, her hand touching the side of her own face in nervousness. _

_Alice looks back to the camera._ "Alright, Sue, well I wanted to let you know if you're ever in the area, to come stop on by the Spider Monkeys apartment and hang out! Just let us know ahead of time so I can pick up all the trash laying around."

_Edward looks sad that he wasn't invited but Jasper gives him a reassuring pat_. "Don't worry, buddy, you're gonna be just fine."

_Emmett stands up and gets a foot away from the camera, shoving his face at it_. "I just want the record to show that I was specifically asked by the chicks that write Stalking, not to mention the fact that I am soooooo onto Jasper and Alice... I know things. I see it. Like that little dancing vampire in Twilight did."

_LMW stands up, trying to push Emmett aside. _"And on that note, a one, a two, a three..." _and she begins singing "Happy Birthday." _

_The rest of the cast begins to join in, and Emmett's loud and off-key voice rises above the rest. At the end of the song they all stand up and form a long line, arms looped around each other, and begin laughing and talking amongst themselves. _

_Bella has wandered over to Edward and they are talking quietly, his face in pure awe. _

_Jasper and Alice are talking about guitars while his hand mirrors hers that is by her side. _

_LMW and JFI are talking and texting on their phones, most likely tweeting to readers about what has just happened. _

_Rosalie is eating some gummy bears she snagged off the craft table. _

_And Emmett...well, he has once again taken over the camera, talking to Sue, and telling her all about why he is the best option for any woman, and all his theories about his best friend, Jasper Whitlock._

"Emmett!" _LMW and JFI yell together._

_He winks into the camera and then smiles_. "Happy Birthday, Sue!"

Ok, that's it! See y'all next chapter, or on Twitter!


	21. A Stalker's Guide: Stalkettes Surprise

**** This is a special gift for the Stalkettes! Enjoy, bbs!****

**Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight, but we got our claws on these characters. Rawr!**

[Rosalie]

I was sitting in my apartment, drinking my morning Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino, when I got the call from Esme.

"Honey, I didn't know who else to call. I thought if I called Alice first she might freak out a little bit," she started.

I kicked my feet up on the coffee table and leaned back into the couch cushions. I'd already been to the gym this morning and was feeling the burn in my thighs. But at least it was a good burn. "What's up?"

I heard her sigh. Sometimes my laid back look at life got the best of her. I just thought that everyone could use a good bit of humor in their lives. I mean, what good was life if you didn't enjoy it?

"There's been a picture released in the tabloids."

I pursed my lips together and hummed. "Alright, what was it this time? Crowd surfing topless or third nipple peaking out during her nudie photo shoot?"

"Rosalie, this is serious," she reprimanded me.

"Alright, give it to me straight then."

"It's a picture of her after the show on Saturday night."

"Okay," I said, dragging the word out, not sure where she was going with this.

"With Jasper."

"Oh, shit. I mean, shoot, sorry," I corrected myself. I sat forward, resting my elbows on my knees. This wasn't good at all. I mean, in the end, Alice really didn't mind if everyone knew her business because she always said she had nothing to hide. But I wasn't sure how she'd feel about her relationship, or whatever she was doing, with Jasper, to be splattered across the papers.

"Which tabloid?" I asked.

"_Alright_! Magazine. It's not a very clear picture. I mean, no one would be able to tell it was him. It's just that _we_ know it's him, and so it would only be a matter of time…"

"I gotcha Esme. You know what? I'm gonna go for a walk. I'll call you back in a little while. Don't worry too much; I've got this under control."

I heard her sigh, not sure if it was in relief or nerves. After I hung up and put my sneakers back on, I pulled off my sticky t-shirt off, leaving me in running shorts and a sports bra. I slid a sweatband into my hair and leashed up my dog, Koala, thinking she'd love the exercise. I stepped out of my apartment and tugged my iPod headphones into my ears. Turning on one of my favorite bands, we started our jog.

I'd made it as far as the downtown strip of shops when I spotted a paparazzi hiding in a bush. I turned and smiled, doing my daily duty of drawing attention from the press. I really enjoyed being a celebrity. I knew that sometimes the paparazzi could be overbearing and annoying, but for the most part I didn't mind putting on a show. It became sort of like a 'Where's Waldo?' adventure for me. I even made up a point system in my head, giving myself bonus points when I found them hiding in hard to see places.

It was a nice day out in LA so I wasn't sweating too much. I stopped at a local newspaper vendor who nodded at me and smiled. I often came to this little stand and he never really bothered me.

"'Good morning, Andre," I said as I browsed the magazines. My eyes landed on it with its large, bolded headline: Alice Brandon's Secret Mystery Lover!

I shook my head as I picked up a copy and handed it over to Andre. He began to ring me up and I held up a bag of gummy bears. "These, too, please." I pulled out my wallet and gave him a ten, telling him he could keep the change. That was one lesson you had to learn as a celebrity—be good to the people who help you out.

He handed me a small bag and I smiled when I saw he had put in a dog biscuit for Koala. Sometimes people just went the extra mile, and it was well appreciated. I gave him a nod as I turned my music back on and began the two mile jog back to my apartment. Along the way I spotted three more paparazzi, one of which was a little too close for comfort.

These people had to learn—you can't just jump out from behind a wall and step on my poor dog's paw! She yelped loudly and it took all that I had to restrain myself from punching this woman in the face. I muttered a few curse words after I'd passed her, far enough away so she couldn't hear me. I didn't want to end up on the front page next to Lindsay Lohan's drug addictions.

I took Koala off her leash and let myself back into the apartment. I tossed her the biscuit as a treat and she trotted off to her bed. I sat down on the couch again and pulled out the gossip rag. Sure enough, there were Alice and Jasper on the front page. I shook my head at the blurry picture, knowing it wasn't enough to 'out' him, but enough to start some trouble with Alice. I flipped open to the article itself and laughed at all the stupid comments the 'writer' had made.

"Alice's mystery lover is tall, blonde, and brutally handsome. He's hardcore and very demanding in bed, inside sources reveal," I read out loud, holding my side in laughter.

More slander took place, with a few smaller pictures from the show. I tossed it on the coffee table and popped open my bag of gummy bears, tossing a few in the air and catching them in my mouth. Alice was certainly going to flip out when she saw this. As much as she claimed to be okay with the press, when things got real personal, she got pissed. I said a silent prayer to God, thanking Him for not posting another stupid story about Bella out and about with Jessica buying bras and panties. Like the world needed to know that she wore thongs.

I turned on the television and found that this 'breaking news' had already made the rounds on an E! News text alert and I realized that maybe it was time to take matters into my own hands, Rosalie style. I picked up my phone and called the appropriate people, smiling to myself when I was done.

Then I called Alice. Of course she was still moping around since Jasper had left the other day, so I invited her over to my place. I told her she could use her key to let herself in because I was going to shower. Afterwards, I put on my Zebra print Snuggie and crawled into the coat closet near the door, waiting for her to get there. As soon as I heard the key in the door and she called my name, I jumped out, yelling loudly.

She screamed and threw her hands up in the air, her keys decking me in the face. I covered my eye and started whining.

"That's what you get for scaring me!" she said as she slapped me on the shoulder.

We walked to the living room and I pointed at the tabloid. "Cat's out of the bag."

She gasped as she picked up the magazine, quickly combing through to the article. Her eyes widened as she read, then narrowed as I recognized the all-too familiar face of a pissed off Alice Brandon.

She growled and threw the paper down on the table. "Assholes! Can't I just have _one_ thing to myself?!"

"Calm down, A.B., I've got this under control. You don't have to worry about anything; I just wanted you to see it before all Hell broke loose. You might want to try to get in touch with Jasper, too. He hasn't been identified, but there's gonna need to be some damage control."

She looked up at me with glassy eyes and I pulled her in for a hug. We'd known each other so long it really felt like she was a sister to me. I was awful protective of her and would do whatever it took to get these people off her back. Alice had always been the hardest working out of the three of us. She took her work very seriously, but also made time to enjoy her life. While I let the drama roll right off my back (like the constant accusations that I was dating my friend Anderson McFord), Alice often longed for moments of privacy when it came to protecting her family and friends from the spotlight.

"You just go write a song or something, go hang out with Bella, and let me handle this."

She nodded and hugged me again, thanking me. I waved it off and tossed her a few gummy bears which she took and laughed, rolling her eyes.

I hung out for a little while before changing into some skinny jeans and a black lace corset top. I got in my car and made my way over to a party I was supposed to make an appearance at. I parked and got out, walking the red carpet and posing for pictures. Some friends of mine showed up and we made small talk, posing together as well. A few fans called my name from the sideline. How they knew about this party was beyond me, but I made my way over and signed some autographs and joking around, taking goofy pictures.

"Rosalie! Over here!" I heard the familiar voice call.

I thanked the fans and walked over to see Juliana from E! News and we hugged after she complimented my outfit.

"I wanted to ask you a few questions," she said nicely.

"Oh, sure!" I said, knowing full well what was going to happen. I'd called her earlier and asked her to give me some specific questions.

"Have you seen the photos of Alice and her Uncover Lover?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I've seen the pictures," I laughed, hamming it up for the camera. "I hate to break it to everyone, but that was my cousin. He came to visit her show, and she was telling him goodbye before he left. Alice doesn't have some secret love life, but even if she did, I wouldn't comment on it."

Juliana nodded. "So what movies are you excited to see this summer?"

I began rattling off a list and we chatted briefly before I went inside and found Anderson. He smiled and gave me a hug as we checked out the free Nokia swag. The party was great and I got to meet a few of my favorite up and coming musicians, chatting about their new singles.

When I got home later that night I checked my mail, opening a few presents from the fans that my agent had sent over. I slipped on a sweatshirt someone had made that said "Team Rosalie: Hale Yes!" and made myself comfortable as I watched an episode of COPS, laughing at all the stupid people in the world. I fell asleep on the couch cuddled up with Koala.

The next day came and went and I tried not to pay attention to any gossip that was going on. When nighttime came, I parked myself in front of the television and turned on E! News to see my segment. I grinned, glad they captured my new earrings, hoping to see them on the Cool Spotters website the next day—my friend had made them to start her new jewelry line and I told her I'd help her out.

After the show was over, I smiled when I saw Alice calling. "Hey, A.B.," I said casually.

"Thank you," she said, and I could tell she was on the verge of tears.

"No sweat. I just did what any other friend would do. You're just lucky Jasper kinda looks like me, or we'd have had to have Bella get on there and you know she'd make a babbling fool of herself. She's ridiculous when she tries to lie." I chuckled, thinking back on how many times we'd caught her in a lie. She was a dead giveaway.

Alice laughed. "Yeah, well if I haven't told you lately, you're the best. And I love you."

"I love you, too, girl. Hey, I got a question. What's Jasper's phone number?"

She went dead silent. "Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"Alice, you know I'm not going to sell it to the tabloids—I've got that Victoria's Secret underwear campaign coming out and I don't need the extra money…yet," I teased.

I could feel her roll her eyes, that's how close we were. "Alright, I'll text it over to you. Thanks again, Rose."

"Anytime. We gotta look out for each other. The only think I ask is that you and the Spider Monkeys make a song about me, singing about how I'm so hot and the best," I said, laughing.

"Oh, you got it!"

We hung up and she texted me the number. I grinned, saving it into my phone under "Cousin J."

I opened a blank message and sent one along to him.

_Hey, Jasper, this is your most favorite cousin. By the way, you owe me BIG time._

A few seconds later, I received a text back.

_What? Who is this?_

I rolled my eyes. Of course, Alice had to pick one that sometimes wasn't smart.

_Your 'cousin?' Please don't make me spell it out for you. You can call me Rita Marie._

And then a text came back.

_Thank you, Rita. I really do owe you._

I turned the television off and leaned back on the couch, propping my feet up on the coffee table again. "Well, Koala, I'd say that's a job well done."

And then I laughed. I'd just talked to my dog. Man, I needed to get a life.

** **

[ Alice ]

"Alice, you really need…"

"Do not!" I yelled at Bella. "Do not tell me I need to calm down! This is not a situation that requires me to be calm!"

I immediately felt bad when Bella looked up at me, her face paled and eyes wide. I muttered an apology and she moved over so that I could sit down next to her. She smiled hesitantly and hugged me.

"It will be okay," she said quietly. I nodded even though I didn't agree with her.

How could this be okay?! I mean… okay. I knew that eventually people would find out about Jasper. It wasn't like I was trying to hide him, but I just… really liked having something that was just mine. Something that was so personal and just…perfect. Jasper had been trying to tell me it would be fine, that he could handle it. But even with his words of encouragement it just didn't feel "okay."

His mom had been so sweet when I talked to her on the phone, telling me that Jasper was a 'good boy that didn't deserve to get his heart broken,' and I really didn't want to hurt him. It was different with Jasper, I could just tell. When he was near me I felt more at home than I had being ten years old, playing in my parents' backyard. We hadn't really talked about where…or what we were, but I knew that I loved Jasper. He was the first thing I thought about when I woke up and the last thing I thought about before I fell asleep. He was the melody that kept running through my head and couldn't stop humming. I knew that Jasper Whitlock was it for me.

"It could have been worse," Bella said quietly, breaking through my mental ramblings.

I nodded in agreement. She was right. Honestly, you couldn't even see that it was Jasper; just that it was a guy much taller than me. They could have caught us having our first kiss in Vancouver, or seen us when he was telling me goodbye at the airport. In all honesty, it could have been way worse. But I still felt violated and worried that Jasper would bolt once all of this came to the surface.

Bella and I both jumped when the front door flew open and Rosalie came walking in, her arms full of bags of Chinese takeout and board games. We both stood up to help take some of the bulk from her.

"Alrighty girls! This is our only cheat day so make it worth it!" Rosalie smiled and started opening cartons of food. "The cashew chicken is mine!"

We all ate in relative silence, laughing when Rosalie would purposefully burp to lighten the mood. My cell phone vibrated and a picture of Jasper sleeping on the hotel couch popped up. I smiled and read his text message that was assuring me that everything would be okay.

"So…" Rosalie smiled and tilted her head to the side. "How is the boy?"

"Jasper," I raised an eyebrow at Rosalie. "Is fine… stressed out. Apparently Emmett is holding some sort of meeting tonight… I don't really get their whole thing."

Rosalie snorted while Bella smiled kindly. "Emmett's 'thing' is that he is a complete jackass," Rosalie said before shoving a spoonful of noodles in her mouth. She swallowed and then shrugged. "Jasper's alright, but his friends are obnoxious."

I started to defend Edward and Emmett, but Bella interrupted me.

"Edward seemed really nice. I think he might just be…kind of misunderstood, maybe?" she said quietly. "His website is really supportive of celebrity rights."

"You looked at his website?" Rosalie asked, dropping her fork. Bella's face turned bright crimson and she nodded. "What…Why…" she sputtered.

"Rosalie, come on," Bella sighed. "He is doing a really good thing! It isn't even just for us, it's for all celebrities!"

I laughed at Bella getting so riled up; she normally didn't care one way or another.

"Okay, fine," Rosalie held her hands up. "I will agree that Jasper and Edward are okay. Emmett is still a jackass. He asked me to sign a picture of his ERECTION!"

I shook my head. Emmett might be a little…different, but I'm sure that underneath all of that sarcasm was a really good guy with a big heart. At least, that's what I gathered from what Jasper had told me about him.

"Rosalie, I don't think he meant it like…that. I think he was just trying to be funny," I tried to reason.

"Oh, no. No. No. No." She shook her head. "That man is a dick! Literally! I felt it against my back!"

The water that I had been drinking spewed across the table and I shook my head while Bella laughed.

"That is so gross, Rosalie!" Bella roared.

"Tell me about it," she shrugged. "The memory of that is seared into my mind. Forever."

The three of us finished eating and sat around talking about Bella's trip back to London to film her next movie Tel Ami, and Rosalie's upcoming Victoria's Secret photo shoot. We still had a couple of months before we all had to head back to Portland to film the next _CA_ movie.

"I'm just so worried about the sex scenes," Bella said quietly. I nodded, feeling for her, while Rosalie just shook her head.

"Bella Swan!" she yelled. "You are one of the sexiest women on the planet right now! Own that shit!"

We all started laughing and were interrupted when my phone started ringing. I smiled when Jasper's picture covered the screen again, this time with a phone call.

"Hey," I said quietly. Rosalie smirked when I slipped out of the chair and walked back to the living room.

"Alice," Jasper said quietly. I immediately picked up on the worry in his voice.

"Baby, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Did you just call me baby?" Jasper asked with a laugh.

"Oh, shut up," I smiled and picked at the arm of the couch.

"No, I like it!" he said quietly. I could tell that he was smiling. "I need to tell you something," he said after we both laughed for a second.

"Okay," I said hesitantly.

"I'm gonna have to tell the guys… soon," he sighed before continuing. "Emmett's all over this and I just…I don't know how long I can keep this a secret."

"Jasper…" I started but heard someone yelling on the other end of the phone.

"Em's here," he muttered quietly. "I'll call you later, okay?"

"Okay," I smiled. My arms ached to just hold on to him. "Jasper…" I whispered.

"Yeah, darlin'?"

"I miss you… so much."

"I miss you, too. We'll be together soon, I promise."

We hung up the phone and I sighed. Soon couldn't come fast enough.

** **

**JFI:** Mad love yo! Thanks for all the support!

**LMW:** Hey, Stalkettes! We wanted to do something awesome to thank you for being so…awesome! So here's a glimpse into Rosalie's mind! I hope you guys liked her and maybe she'll come around more often!

**Wanna be a Stalkette? Just come play on Twitter and keep reviewing! It's simple, and oh so much fun!**


	22. Bootgate

**Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight and never will. Dangit.**

** **

**[Emmett]**

Edward and Angela were in the living room when I walked in the front door. I nodded at them, letting a huge shit-eating grin cover my face. "Where's Jasper?" I asked.

They stared at me and the array of shit that I held in my arms but didn't answer me.

"Whatever the hell you think you're doing, just… don't," Edward said, shaking his head.

I ignored him and carefully sat the three blown-up pictures on the couch. "Jasper!" I yelled loudly. Like the jackass that he was, he came sauntering out of Edward's bedroom. He had that same calm and collected look on his face that he usually wore, but I knew… I just fucking _KNEW_ that I had him this time.

His eyes traveled from me to the massive objects on the couch that were stealthily covered in sheets I had stolen from the nursing home. I was pretty damn sure that I saw fear in his eyes before it went back to the fake calm.

"Can we make this quick?" Jasper asked. He leaned against the door frame and smiled. "I have more important things to do than entertain this bullshit."

"Well certainly, Jasper," I said sarcastically. "Whatever I can do to make your life easier… just let me know."

"Guys," Edward said as he interrupted some smart ass comment Jasper was about to throw at me. "Lets just let Emmett do…whatever the hell he's doing…and then be done with it, okay? No more covert operations. It ends tonight. Deal?"

Oh, I was more than fucking willing to agree to that. I knew I had Jasper by the balls and there was no way he could deny this!

"I'm okay with that," I said confidently. Jasper sighed and nodded in agreement. "Great! Now you assholes go wait in the bedroom while I set this shit up!"

They all groaned in complaint but eventually gave in. I clapped my hands together once the bedroom door shut and set to work. I carefully arranged the pictures on the couch, setting them against the back of it like it was an easel. I left the sheet draped over them for a maximum surprise factor.

I had found an old radio at the nursing home that no one ever used, and ripped the collapsible antenna off of it. It made an excellent pointer; I just needed the finishing touch. I dug through Edward's desk drawers until I found one of those pink pencil top erasers and slid it on to the top of my make shift pointer. I waved it around to make sure it wouldn't go flying off and smiled when it didn't. If nothing else, I could beat the shit out of Jasper with it until he gave in and told us the truth.

"Fucking perfect," I smiled to myself.

I double-checked that I had everything ready and called everyone back into the living room. Angela looked like she was on the verge of laughing while Jasper and Edward just looked annoyed. I motioned for them to take the chairs I had arranged in front of the couch.

"Please, have a seat," I said politely. Jasper sighed but sat his hillbilly ass in a chair.

I cleared my throat and handed each of them a copy of the _Alright!_ magazine that had originally broken the story. The pictures of her hugging…the man in question…were on the cover. I had marked the page of the actual article with paperclips.

"I would like to discuss something very close to my heart," I started out. Jasper snorted, but I ignored him. "I would like to introduce, what I affectionately call…Bootgate. If you will please turn to page eighteen, which I have already marked for you, then we can begin."

As everyone flipped to the page I had mentioned, I watched Jasper like a fucking hawk, just waiting for his moment of weakness to break through. I probably should have felt bad, but I had given that asshole several chances to come clean on his own; now we were gonna do it my way.

"As you can see, that is clearly Alice Brandon hugging someone next to a dumpster. Although the picture is somewhat distorted because it was taken in an alley, there are a few things that we can point out here," I explained slowly. "One, that the 'suspect' is clearly a male who is much taller than Alice. Also, that he has fair hair that is unnaturally poofy."

Edward rolled his eyes, which I ignored.

"Jasper, how tall are you?" I asked calmly.

His jaw clenched and he glared at me. "I'm like, six foot two."

"And do you happen to know how tall Alice Brandon is?"

"She's five one."

"Thank you," I muttered and pulled the pointer out of my back pocket, extending it to its fullest length. "Now Angela, can you tell me what color you would call Jasper's hair?"

She glanced at Jasper and then back at me. "Blonde?"

"Edward, would you consider blonde hair to be 'fair' in color?" I casually asked.

"Sure," he said quietly.

"Thank you. Now gentlemen…and lady, there has been speculation that the 'suspect' is related to Rosalie Hale. I think that her saying that was nothing more than a cover up." I grabbed the end of one of the sheets and smiled. "I give you Exhibits A and B!"

I yanked the sheet off of the first two pictures and let it drop to the floor. Everyone looked at them and I smiled at their obvious confusion.

"Exhibit A!" I said forcefully, slapping the picture with my pointer stick. "You can tell from this picture that the 'suspect' is wearing a plaid shirt." I used the pointer to show where the guy's shirt was hanging lower than the back of his jacket. "Jasper Whitlock, you wear quite a bit of plaid, don't you?"

He started to answer me and I interrupted him. "Exhibit B!" I yelled over him. I slapped the picture with my pointer again. "You can see in this picture that the 'suspect' is extremely bowlegged. Jasper, if you would please stand up."

"No," he said simply, "I won't. This is ridiculous and you're acting like a fucking lunatic!"

I ignored him and looked at Angela and Edward. "You both know how fucking bowlegged he is, so I will continue. Angela, can you please go into my closet and get Jasper's nasty ass boots and bring them here?"

She agreed, and I smiled smugly at Jasper while we waited for her to come back. Edward kept asking me if I thought I was taking this too far, but I told him to give me ten more minutes. Angela came back in the room and I motioned for her to hold on to the shoes.

"Now," I said calmly, turning back to Edward and Jasper. "I do believe that I have put forth quite a case, with some highly extensive evidence. I only have one piece of the puzzle left."

"Hurry the fuck up!" Jasper snapped at me. He was getting antsy and I fucking loved it.

"Exhibit C!" I said dramatically and carefully pulled the sheet off the last picture. It was a close-up on their feet, and the yellow splotches of paint were noticeably visible on the toes of the guy's boots. Edward's mouth fell open and both he and Angela looked at Jasper and then back to me. "Did you not spill yellow paint on your boots last year when you helped repaint the radio station's lobby? Did you, Jasper Whitlock, not complain for an entire month that your favorite boots had been ruined?!"

Jasper's calm smile irritated me. "Yeah, I did."

"Angela," I said calmly. "Will you please look at Jasper's boots so that we can match up the paint splotches?"

Edward was still gaping at Jasper, his eyes moving rapidly between the picture and the shoes Angela was picking up.

"Uh," she said quietly. "There…isn't any paint on them."

"What!" I yelled at her. "Yes, there is!"

She shook her head and showed me the shoes.

"Well then, you got the wrong shoes!" I protested loudly. Jasper smiled and shook his head.

"He only has one pair, Emmett." Edward shook his head and got up from his chair. "You really are paranoid!"

"Well, then he replaced the boots! That's all there is to it!"

"Have you ever worn boots, Emmett?" Jasper drawled.

I shook my head. "Why the fuck would I ever wear boots?!"

"Well," he sighed and stood up. "If you ever had, you would know that boots take a while to work in. If I had just gotten these boots then there wouldn't be scuffs or signs of wear on them. I got new boots before we went to Vancouver, Emmett."

I glared at him as he smiled and slapped my back.

"So who's hungry? Pizza?" he asked Edward and Angela.

They all started making plans about going out to dinner and I shook my head. Jasper made a huge show of putting on his boots and everyone laughed. _No. No fucking way!_ That fucker had tricked me, and I knew for a fact that he was in those pictures with Alice Brandon!

"I would invite you, Em," Jasper said as they were all walking out the front door. "But with the whole diet thing, I'm sure pizza isn't the best idea. I'll pick you up a salad from Wendy's on our way home."

They shut the door behind them and I shook my head. "This isn't over, Jackass."

He was lying, I knew it, and I was pretty fucking sure that Edward knew it, too. I might not have been able to catch him this time, but eventually it would all come out in the wash. It always fucking did.

*******

**[ Jasper ]**

Have you ever had one of those moments in your life when you feel like you're just going to black out and die? Well that's what happened to me the moment I got the call from Emmett about this big meeting he needed to have. I was toast.

I immediately texted Alice and it was one of those texts that would one day end up on the FML website. I was panicking and I felt myself feeling sick all over. I ran out into the living room and grabbed the copy of _Alright!_ Magazine and turned to the page with my picture on it. I eyed it for a moment or two before pulling the shirt from my duffle bag and wanting to set it on fire. I stuffed it into a plastic grocery bag I found in with my things and wadded it up into a ball and tucked it under my shirt. I brushed past Edward in the living room and yelled to him that I would be right back.

Alice called me as soon as I got in my car. "Jasper, are you alright?"

"No, darlin, this is bad. Emmett saw the pictures from the magazine and he knows what's up. And I mean, KNOWS what's up."

"Why is that a bad thing?" she asked carefully.

I sighed. "I didn't tell him yet. And he's going to make a big scene out of all of this, I just know it. He's been on to me since we left Vancouver and he wants nothing more than to point me out as a liar."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"Well, for starters, I'm getting rid of the evidence. The shirt and the boots have got to go. Anything that he can use against me is going in the trash."

She gasped. "Jasper, no! You can't do that!"

"I have to do something!"

"Why don't you just tell him the truth?"

"It's not that simple. I'm not even worried about the fact that I've been hiding my relationship with you—right now Emmett's just hell-bent on catching me in a lie that he wouldn't even care what it was." I started driving down the road, needing to be as far away from the apartment as I could. "I've got to get rid of this shirt," I mumbled.

"Send it to me," she begged. "I know that sounds stupid, but it's a memento to me, and I'll give it back to you if you ever want it."

I couldn't help but smile through all my panic. Sometimes Alice was balls-to-the-walls crazy, but I think that's what I loved most about her. "Alright, just text me your mailing address and I'll drop it by the post office right now."

"Sounds good. I'm going to head over to Bella's for a little while and hang out."

"I think that'd be a great idea for you. I'll call you later, alright?"

"Okay…I'll…talk to you in a bit," she mumbled sadly.

"Miss you," I said sweetly.

"Miss you, too," she said as she hung up the phone.

I turned up the radio and tried to drown myself in distraction, although it seemed like every song I heard now somehow reminded me of Alice. I got to the post office and over-nighted the shirt to her and headed back out to my truck. I pulled off my new boots I had bought the other day and tied them to the back of the hitch. I drove out to a deserted part of town and drove around in circles, letting the rocks and gravel beat up the boots some more. I'd spent the last two days beating up and distressing them with stones and a knife, trying to make them look like I'd had them for months. I got nervous at first when it didn't seem to be working, but after a few Google searches, I'd found some tips and tricks that worked, and after running them through the dirt and stone, they looked pretty well worn-in. I slipped them on again and drove back to the apartment, ignoring Angela and Edward when I came back in. I immediately booked it to Edward's room and threw my stuff in the corner, pacing back and forth. I knew I only had a little bit of time before Emmett got home, and I prayed to God that there would be faulty evidence and I could keep my Joe Cool act up for a little longer.

I was going to need to tell them. I'd always known that, and I really wanted to be able to share it with them. But then Emmett had to get all _'I Know What You Did Last Summer'_ and try to crack the case like he was Sherlock Holmes, and suddenly I didn't want to tell him. Edward, yes; he deserved to know, and I was going to try to help him out as best I could. That included talking him up to Bella every chance I got. I hoped he wouldn't hate me too much once the truth finally came out.

I started to gasp for breath as a small panic attack washed over me. My mind kept reeling in the possibilities of what could happen tonight and I fought back the urge to throw up. I quickly dialed Alice, knowing that hearing her voice would make me feel better.

"Hey," she said somewhat quietly and I panicked again, hoping I wasn't bothering her.

"Alice," I whispered as I closed my eyes, leaning my body against the wall.

"Baby, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

My heart stopped. Alice had given me a pet name, and it felt somewhat silly. "Did you just call me baby?" I asked with a laugh.

"Oh, shut up," she teased, and I found myself feeling better already.

"No, I like it!" I reassured her. I'd have to come up with something to call her, too, once all this was out in the open and off my chest. "I need to tell you something," I said seriously.

"Okay," she replied anxiously.

"I'm gonna have to tell the guys…soon. Emmett's all over this and I just…I don't know how long I can keep this a secret."

"Jasper," she started to say, at the same time that I heard Emmett yelling for me.

"Em's here, I'll call you later, okay?" I asked her.

"Okay," she agreed. "Jasper?"

"Yeah, darlin'?"

"I miss you…so much."

My heart was breaking at how sad and small her voice sounded, and at how much I felt the exact same way. "I miss you, too. We'll be together soon, I promise." I hung up the phone and took a deep breath, sliding my phone into my back pocket and heading out towards the firing squad.

I remembered Mama telling me when I left Texas for Washington that if I ever got nervous, to 'fake it till I make it' and that piece of advice was never more useful than it was this moment. I strolled out into the living room, pretending that I had nothing to be worried about. "Can we make this quick? I have more important things to do than entertain this bullshit."

Emmett replied sarcastically back at me and I rolled my eyes, playing the part of the confident and collected guy. He started arguing with Edward, when Edward finally spoke up.

"Let's just let Emmett do…whatever the hell he's doing…and then be done with it, okay? No more covert operations. It ends tonight. Deal?"

And cue the eternal guilt that I would have for not telling Edward about Alice before now. Of course I had known all along not to keep this a secret, but I wasn't doing it for me; I was doing it for Alice. Edward would have been nothing but supportive, and I knew that. So, now I felt like a complete asshole.

Emmett shooed us away to the bedroom and Angela, Edward, and me all stood around, unsure of what was going to happen.

"This is stupid," Angela said. "Whatever Emmett thinks you have or haven't done, it doesn't matter, Jasper. I just want you to know that."

Edward nodded. "I feel the same way. I just want him to get this out of his system so we can move on. He's been acting so weird lately, and maybe this will snap him out of it."

I nodded. "Thanks, guys, I don't know what's going to happen out there, but I'm not real worried. I don't have anything to hide," I replied coolly. But I did—I had been hiding ever since VanCon.

Emmett called us back in and we walked out to see a blanket covering some large display boards or something similar. Angela was trying hard not to laugh, and I saw Edward's eyes roll back as he shook his head left and right, muttering about how stupid his brother was sometimes.

We sat down in some kitchen chairs that Emmett had lined up in front of the couch. I lifted up another silent prayer to God, asking Him to get me through this in one piece. If Emmett did have enough evidence to prove that I was involved with Alice secretly, I might be packing my bags and moving out.

Magazines were passed out to us as Emmett presented his case, which he had called "Bootgate." I knew this was going downhill faster than an Olympic skier. He began presenting his case, asking me how tall I was, and pointing out all the details he could about how much the guy in _Alright!_ Magazine looked like me. And I had to admit, he had a strong case. The evidence was all there and it did point to me, and it _was_ me.

He pulled off the blanket and displayed two of the pictures from the tabloid that he had blown up. My heart started to beat faster but I watched my breathing, reminding myself to remain calm. There I was, leaning over Alice, and kissing her. The memory was a happy one for me…until this moment.

"Exhibit A!" he said excitedly, slapping a metal…television antenna… across the picture. "You can tell from this picture that the 'suspect' is wearing a plaid shirt. Jasper Whitlock, you wear quite a bit of plaid, don't you?"

I sat up and started to answer before he slapped the homemade pointer against the poster board.

"Exhibit B!" he continued as he pointed out the man in the picture's bowlegged-ness. This was the last straw for me. I felt my blood begin to boil. "Jasper, if you would please stand up."

"No. I won't. This is ridiculous and you're acting like a fucking lunatic!" I cried, even though I knew he was well-justified in his case. The thing is, if Emmett wasn't being such a douche bag, I might be willing to tell him what was going on between Alice and me. But he had turned this into a witch-burning crusade and I was not going to give him the satisfaction he was so desperately seeking.

And then he asked Angela to go get my boots. I tried to hide the smug look on my face as I knew when she brought them back they wouldn't be the same boots. I'd mailed those out with the plaid shirt to Alice, so this would be a major flaw in his argument.

Emmett acted like he was going to reel me in hook, line, and sinker here, but I knew I had him. "Now, I do believe that I have put forth quite a case, with some highly extensive evidence. I only have one piece to the puzzle left."

"Hurry the fuck up!" I yelled, growing more and more agitated at his theatrics. At this point, I'd tell Emmett to move to Hollywood and get an agent so he could start working on a television law drama.

"Exhibit C!" he yelled as he revealed the last picture. I heard Edward's breath catch as he looked at the picture and then back to me repeatedly, Angela doing the same. He began to make a case about how I had complained that my favorite boots were ruined and that they had yellow splotches on them from painting at the radio station. He really would have had me…if he had the right boots.

Angela looked the pair over. "Uh…there isn't any paint on them," she said in disbelief.

"What! Yes there is!" he insisted. Inside I felt like giggling like a schoolgirl.

Angela held them up as Emmett inspected them close to his face. "Then you got the wrong ones!" he yelled angrily.

"He only has one pair, Emmett," Edward chimed in.

"Well, then he replaced the boots!"

I explained to him, and the rest of the crowd of witnesses, that I had gotten these boots before we went to Vancouver, ending the argument. I'll give Emmett credit, he almost had me cornered. But in the end, my swift thinking won out. I slapped him on the back and smiled like the smug bastard I was being.

"So, who's hungry? Pizza?" I asked, looking over at Edward and Angela.

They nodded and I sat down and dramatically pulled on my boots, lifting my leg high so Emmett could see it. That earned a laugh from Edward and Angela, and I smiled internally. I'd won. My secret was safe for another day. I looked over at Emmett and I could almost see the steam coming out of his ears.

"I would invite you, Em, but with the whole diet thing, I'm sure pizza isn't the best idea. I'll pick you up a salad from Wendy's on our way home." I walked out the door with Edward and Angela as they began to chatter on about Emmett's huge display.

"I'm sorry about all that, Jasper. Sometimes Emmett gets really passionate about something when he thinks he's right," Edward said as we climbed into Angela's car.

I nodded as another fresh round of guilt washed over me. I knew I'd have to at least tell Edward sometime soon. He deserved better than this—he was a good guy who never fucked around, and he deserved something special in his life.

**** ****

**[Edward]**

I woke up and thought the same thing I always had lately. How was it possible for our lives to change so drastically in such a short period of time? It had been nine months since our trip to Vancouver and it was literally like things had been turned upside down. Not all the changes were bad, though. We had moved last month into a new apartment which thankfully gave Jasper his own bedroom and each of us our own bathroom. Even with the extra space, things were still weird between Jasper and Emmett.

Emmett, who had decided to reform himself, had basically become some sort of recluse. Ever since his whole "Bootgate" thing he had changed drastically. It seemed like the only things he did anymore were write fan fiction, exercise, and go to work. He had thrown himself into several online communities that were nothing but _Carlisle Angel's_ fan fiction and had apparently made several friends. I read his story and it was actually really good. The last I had checked, he had over fifty thousands hits and the numbers got higher with each chapter he posted. He had turned into some sort of fan fiction royalty and always mentioned things about "plotting" or "jacking their shit up." I had no idea what he was talking about, so I just nodded and went along with it.

While Emmett had basically retreated into himself, Jasper was the opposite. Since we had gotten back from VanCon, Jasper had been working continuously. I guess that his interview with the girls had gained some recognition because he was constantly traveling to different events that the station was having him cover. It was apparently all "hush-hush" though, because he said I couldn't mention it around Maria or anyone else from the station. Apparently his quasi-boss Ross wasn't in on the fact that Jasper was on the verge of being promoted. Pretty much every other weekend Jasper was flying off somewhere to interview someone or attend some convention.

They both seemed content with how their lives had changed, and that made me happy for them. But I couldn't help but feel like something big was about to happen, and by big I mean Jasper and Emmett getting into a fight. Jasper was one of my best friends, while Emmett was my brother and only living relative. I tried to keep the peace between the two of them but it never did much good.

Emmett would constantly mutter things under his breath about Jasper always being gone, and how it always coincided with things Alice Brandon was doing. Jasper would get pissed at Emmett for being so intrusive, and honestly I couldn't blame him. That little display with the pictures and Jasper's shoes had been way out of line. I admitted that Jasper had been acting a little weird, but if he was hiding something then it was his business. He would tell us when he was ready to.

So things continued like that for weeks. Angela and I would try to mediate arguments and defuse egos, and it was exhausting. But that didn't stop me from working doubly as hard on the website. If people thought that my ranting and standing up against the paparazzi had been a fad, then they were definitely eating their words now.

Alice had mentioned the website in an interview she did for some magazine and since then, the numbers of visitors and affiliates had tripled. The local newspaper, as well as some larger ones throughout the state, had written up some articles on our stand. I was extremely proud that my one voice had turned into a full-out scream against the paparazzo's violations. People were really starting to make a stand, and it made me feel like I had accomplished something. Plus, I liked to think that if Alice was looking at the site, then maybe Bella was, too. At least I hoped she was anyway.

It hadn't been but a month after we got back when someone had followed Bella and Jessica into some department store and taken several pictures of her buying underwear. Not only was this just… insanely creepy…it was just _wrong_. Angela had argued that she easily could have been more discreet about buying them, but I just couldn't help but think how absurd it was. I couldn't imagine millions of people being interested in what kind of underwear I wore. It still made me a little irate to even think about the whole damn situation.

Sighing, I threw my legs over the side of the bed and stumbled out into the hallway. I could see Jasper sitting at the kitchen bar eating breakfast and heard Emmett moving around in his bedroom. When I walked by I saw that his door was opened and stopped. He was scarfing down a Special K breakfast bar while typing. I raised an eyebrow at the expression on his face; it was a mix of strained frustration and extreme pleasure.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"Nothin'," he said quickly.

"What are you doing?"

"Writing butt sex."

He said it like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like how I would say "I'm walking," he said he's writing butt sex!

"Please tell me this isn't a Bella…"

He laughed and shook his head. "Fuck no! Rosalie's Victoria's Secret pictures came out and dude…they are HOT! And then she did this little commercial where she is walking around in these cheeky panty things…and she looks at the camera and is like 'you wanna see my tits?' I swear to God I thought I was going to lose my fucking mind!"

"So, your solution is to write butt sex?" I asked with a laugh.

He shrugged and clicked a few more buttons before pushing away from his desk. "Everyone writes it. I bet some of those chicks haven't ever even had it, though. It's so generic and just…not accurate."

I quickly shook my head and started walking away. I didn't need to know about my brother's sexual experiences, period. Especially not butt sex.

Emmett followed me into the kitchen where he and Jasper just nodded at each other. I sighed and started fixing my breakfast, wishing that things would just go back to how they were before. I kind of missed my overly obnoxious brother and my carefree and laid-back best friend. I told both of them goodbye when they left and after showering and changing clothes, I sat down to work.

An organization that lobbied for celebrity rights in Washington, DC, had asked me to design a webpage for them, and even though I still had another week before they wanted a draft, I still worked on it continuously. It was a big deal, like a really big deal, and I wanted it to be perfect.

I was working so intently on getting the border right on the website that it startled me when my cell phone started ringing. I had been working on it for four hours without a break, and was grateful for Emmett's interruption.

"Hel…" I started and he interrupted me.

"Where's Jasper?" he asked quickly.

"I assume he's at work. Why?"

Emmett sighed and lowered his voice. "Alice's nudie Red Bull pictures were leaked today."

"Oh," I said quietly. I wasn't sure if Emmett was making this out to be a bad thing or a good thing. "And?"

"I'm just giving you a heads up. He's probably gonna be pissed tonight."

I shook my head, totally confused. "Wouldn't he be…I dunno…happy or excited?"

Emmett sighed again and muttered something I couldn't understand. "Just giving you a warning. I'll see you tonight."

"Alright." We hung up and I shook my head.

I hadn't even set the phone down when it started ringing again. I sighed and answered it. "What, Emmett?"

The line was quite for a few seconds. "Mr. Cullen? Mr. Edward Cullen?" a young woman's voice said.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I muttered. "Yes, I'm Edward."

"Hi, my name is Emily and I'm with Peak Productions…"

Immediately the air in my lungs left me. My mouth fell open and I blinked, trying to pay attention to what she was saying.

"Hello?" she said a few minutes later.

"I'm…sorry…can you repeat what you just said?" I stammered.

She gave me a small laugh and repeated herself. "I'm with Peak Productions, and I was calling to see if you would be interested in representing your website at Comic-Con. You've been selected to do an exclusive interview with the cast."

My phone dropped to the floor as I stared at the wall in front of me. _Holy Fuck._

** **

**JFI: EDWARD MAKES A COMEBACK!!! *does happy dance* High fives all around!! **

**LMW: Thanks for all the love and support! And for the story pimpage from Tellingmelies. You gotta go read her story "No Place Like Home" and also, vote for some awesome stories in the Indies *coughs Kubler-Ross Model, A Silver Tongue, When the Words Scream coughs***

**And our lovely Stalkette, Wtchwmn75, has started her first story! Go show her some love **

**Until next time, peace, love and VIVA LA FANBOYS!**


	23. A Stalker's Guide: Decisions, Decisions

**Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight, but we do own copies of the DVD, and come Saturday at 12:01 AM we will both own New Moon DVDs as well!**

[ Bella ]

I rolled over and groaned. My head was pounding. What time was it? Why was it so bloody bright in here? I pulled my head out from under the covers and squinted at the alarm clock on my bedside. _Noon?_ It was noon already? What--what happened last night?

A loud noise in the kitchen caused me to jump and I sat up, running my hands through my hair. I picked up my favorite shirt from off the floor and pulled it on. I stumbled into the kitchen and was a little shocked when I saw Alice standing there.

"What are you doing?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "I wanted pancakes."

"Alright," I said, unsure of what this had to do with me.

She turned to me with a scraper in her hands and rolled her eyes. "I didn't want to eat alone."

I walked in and sat down in one of the four folding chairs I had. "Where'd you get the pan from?"

"I bought it at Goodwill," she said. This didn't shock me. I hardly owned any kitchen stuff, and Alice never shopped at high-priced, name brand places. And if I was being completely honest, I didn't mind. I was glad she wasn't spending a lot of money on me. I was a paper plates and plastic silverware kind of girl. But I'd upgraded recently--Mum sent me some dishes, cups, and silverware from a store back in England. Some of the cups had scenes of London and the landmarks on it, and I laughed when I opened the package. It was nice of her and now I didn't have to go out to the store as much for more supplies, which was a plus, since every time I did my face ended up in all the papers.

"You want banana or chocolate chip?"

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Do you want bananas or chocolate chips in your pancakes?"

"Oh, um, chocolate chips I suppose," I said, scratching the back of my neck.

She was humming some song as she worked and I pulled a few of the plates and cups down, putting them on the plastic card table. I opened the fridge and was shocked to see a carton of orange juice. I pulled it out and looked at the date. It was still good. That never happened in my apartment.

"Have a seat, Bell, it's almost ready."

I shook my head and opened my eyes, trying to wake up. My fingers pushed their way through my hair and I laughed when I felt some of the hair sticking up and left it there.

"No offense, but, girl, when was the last time you showered?" Alice asked as she wrinkled her nose and turned away from me.

I mocked hurt. "I shower! When was the last time YOU showered?"

"Touché," she replied as she sat down and put a plate in front of me. We ate silently for a while.

"Is Jasper coming out this weekend?" I asked.

She put her fork down and stared at her plate for a few moments. "I don't know what Jasper's doing."

"Oh-kay," I said, starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. It seemed like Alice was about to start talking about her feelings again. And I loved Alice like a sister, but I just found myself unable to relate to her in this aspect and always wanted to run the other way.

But this didn't stop her. "I mean, it seems like lately all we do is argue; and not about important things, but about the stupidest stuff. I mean, is this normal? I'm just trying to keep my head together and do what's best for the both of us, and I feel like he doesn't appreciate that. You know he hasn't told his friends about us yet? And not that I'm really worried about that--I mean, he will tell them when he feels ready, but I don't want them to hate me, and think that I'm the one who made him keep it a secret. Bell, I just don't know what to do half the time--what if I do something really wrong, and he leaves me? I mean, I'm so far in at this point that I don't know what I'd do if he left ..." she trailed on.

"Have you had sex yet?" I asked bluntly.

Alice's jaw dropped as she stared at me. "What--how can you--why--"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Well, that's your problem right there."

"I'm not talking to you about this," she huffed.

"Alice, love, please. You've been seeing Jasper for how long now?"

"Nine months," she mumbled, her arms crossed over her chest.

I bit the side of my lip. "So for nine months you've done nothing but see each other every other weekend and talk on the phone? That's a lot of sexual frustration right there."

"We've done...stuff. You know what? I am not talking with you about this. You don't understand!"

But I was enjoying this way too much to let Alice off the hook. "So, the whole dominant in bed thing definitely isn't true?"

"Isabella Swan! Relationships are not just about sex! The biggest problem has been being away from him...it's so hard not being able to spend all the time I want with him. It's like, when he's here, I'm already sick at the thought of him leaving in a few days, and I can't enjoy our time fully. I never, ever thought I would feel this way about someone. But now that I do, I can't just turn it off. You'll understand one day when this happens to you."

"You really care for him, don't you?"

She looked down at her plate. "I love him," she whispered softly.

"Have you told him that?"

She shook her head. "I've come close a few times, but I just feel like...if I say it too soon he'll run; and what if he doesn't feel that way? What if he really only likes me because I am an actress?"

"Are you honestly sitting here and telling me you have doubts about Jasper's feelings for you? That you think he's only with you because you're in a movie? Are you out of your bloody skull?"

She withdrew into herself and I felt kind of bad for yelling at her. "When you say it like that, I feel stupid."

"You're not stupid, Alice; I know this has got to be hard on you both. But I don't know what to say to make it better."

She smiled. "Just being here makes it better.

We finished the rest of our breakfast quietly and I helped clean up. Afterwards we collapsed in the living room. Alice picked up my guitar and strummed it lazily.

"That's pretty," I said, nodding towards her where the soothing melody was oozing out of my guitar.

She smiled a blissful smile and lay back against the chair with her eyes closed. She continued to play and I closed my eyes as well, feeling myself relax for one of the first times in ages. I began to fall asleep and jerked my head from side to side to wake up. Alice giggled.

"You kinda looked like Jasper just now," she said.

My eyebrows creased. "I looked like a dude?"

She nodded. "Not like him in the man sense, but that sense of calm and relaxation. I mean, I don't know how he does it; no matter how stressed out I get, whenever he's here it's like he doesn't care about anything else in the world."

"Maybe he doesn't," I mumbled, feeling sad that I hadn't ever really experienced something like that. Sure, I'd had a few boyfriends in my life, and I'd been so engrossed in them that I'd thought I was in love, but it all turned out to be false. I hadn't really let it bother me; instead I threw myself into my work, taking on as many roles as I could. But sometimes at the end of the day, when I was laying in my hotel bed, I'd remember what it felt like to be held, and I'd miss the comfort it gave.

"Jasper said that Edward's website is taking a huge rise in popularity," Alice said nonchalantly.

I think she wanted to catch my interest, so for her sake, I played along. "Oh yeah?"

"Mhmm, apparently his stand against the paparazzi has gained a lot of respect, and now other websites are starting to take those pictures down and refuse to post them, too."

"That's nice of them to do that," I said as thoughts started pouring into my mind. "Hey, Alice? You talk an awful lot about Edward...how do you know he's a good guy?"

"He's best friends with Jasper. And I trust Jasper. Therefore, if he says Edward's a great guy, then it's gotta be true."

"I know for a fact that Rosalie wouldn't buy that logic."

"Oh once she calms down she'll see how harmless Emmett is. You know she's just a skeptic."

I shrugged. Alice was right--and Rosalie's behavior towards Emmett was really weird. Usually she just laughed off whatever stupid things fans did or said to her. She was pretty laid back in general, so for her to be acting this way towards Emmett was odd. And confusing. I was scared to ask her about it in case she got into one of her occasional mood swings.

"I'm not real worried about it. If she never warms up to him, then that's her deal. But I've got a feeling that Jasper could be around for quite a while, and that means that sometimes his friends might be around, too. She'll just have to put her big girl panties on and take it like a woman."

I snickered because even though I was 23, I was still immature and some things just made me laugh. My phone rang in the other room and I got up to answer it. I'd just missed it by the time I walked in and saw that it was from Esme. I quickly redialed her and she answered cheerily.

"Hello, Bella dear!"

"Esme," I said cordially. It wasn't that I didn't want to talk to her, but I had a lot on my mind at the moment and wanted to take some time alone to process.

"Honey, I just received a call from Peak. They wanted you and the other girls' input on some details for Comic Con, so I wanted to make sure that tomorrow afternoon would be alright for you."

I pulled on my lower lip before answering. "Uh, sure, that sounds alright."

"Perfect! Shall I send a driver or will you be bringing yourself?"

"I'm fine. Thanks for the call."

"Sure thing, I'll update your schedule and it'll beep on your phone an hour before."

We said goodbye and hung up. When I walked back into the living room, Alice was pacing, crunching her phone between her hands. "What's wrong?" I asked.

She looked up at me with sad eyes and walked over, clutching me tightly. I was shocked at first, but after a moment or two my body relaxed and I hugged her. I heard her begin to sniffle and she pulled away, wiping at her eyes.

"I'm so sorry; I don't mean to get so emotional. It's just sometimes...I don't know, Bella. I'm sorry to be such a mess. I think I'm going to go back to my apartment and lay down or something."

I nodded as she gathered up her things and walked towards the door. "Call me if you need someone to talk to," I offered.

She smiled at me and nodded. "Thanks, B. I love you." She walked out and shut the door behind her.

I immediately felt bad. Alice was stressing out so much, and I could only assume it was about her relationship with Jasper. They seemed pretty perfect together, so I wasn't sure what the real issue was. I just hoped that whatever happened, Alice would be alright in the end.

** ** **

The next day I found myself shuffling into a pair of shoes as I raced to get out the door. As usual, I was running late and didn't have time to make myself look presentable. Not that I cared so much for my sake. If the paparazzi caught me wearing the same shirt two days in a row then they couldn't sell the pictures for much money anyway. But once in a while, and I should stress "once" in a while, I liked to look "nice" when I knew Peak people were involved. So here I was, in my usual ripped and faded jeans and a white v-neck t-shirt, my favorite black bra showing through. I tossed my trusty Ray-Bans on, tucked my hair into a beanie and hopped into my car. It was old and beat up, almost killing me more than once over the short while I'd had it. But it got me from Point A to Point B, and I didn't really want anything flashy. Having a reliable car that didn't stand out made me feel like I could blend in with the rest of the world, and for those few minutes I didn't have to be Bella Swan, movie star.

I pulled up to Peak and parked in a small parking lot after the security guard allowed me in the gates. I'd had to show him my driver's license of course, because he thought anyone could claim to be Bella Swan. I smiled politely at him and waved as I drove by. Heading into the building, I tugged on my sunglasses and tried not to look around. This place was supposed to be paparazzi free, but I wasn't too certain that Peak didn't hire their own photographers to snap pictures in order to help "keep up publicity," as if we needed any more of that.

The woman at the front desk smiled brightly at me and led me up to the conference room where the meeting was going to take place. I wrinkled my eyebrows when I noticed there were a few laptops set up in front of empty chairs and thick packets of papers next to them.

"Bella, thank you for coming! Please, take a seat in one of the chairs with a computer in front of it. Can we get you anything to drink?"

"Water would be lovely," I said before pushing my sunglasses off my face and on top of my head. No more then 20 seconds later a glass with ice water was set down next to me. I nodded politely at the young girl, most likely an intern, and she beamed back at me.

I looked at the clock and then back to the woman. "Aren't the others coming?"

She nodded before walking closer to me. I sat back in my seat some, trying to maintain personal space. "Yes, Alice and Rosalie will be here shortly, but I wanted to meet with you one-on-one before they got here to get some perspective from you. Since you're the biggest star out of the three, sometimes your opinion matters more."

Shaking my head, I dug my fingers into one of the rips on my jeans. "No, we're equal. No one is more popular." I looked at her Peak Productions badge and saw that her name was Stephenie.

She clicked her tongue before smiling at me in a way that I knew was not friendly. "That's not true, Bella, and I think you know that. Everyone wants you--it's always your face on the magazines, the t-shirts, and in the news. Yes, the other girls make an appearance from time to time, but it's you that everyone wants to know about."

I gulped quietly and nodded, looking down at my lap. I hated thinking that I was better than anyone; in this life I lived, I simply wanted to do what I felt passionate about, and that was to act and play music. I never thought that made me better than anyone else, and certainly not Alice and Rosalie. They were two of the best women I'd ever known, and deserved much more success than I did. In fact, I didn't event want to be famous. I just wanted to make money, live, and express myself.

Stephenie walked back over to her chair and picked up a stack of papers. "This is a compilation of the top fifteen _Carlisle's Angels_ fan sites, and we want you girls to pick the top two that you want to come and interview you for Comic Con. We will pick an additional two that we, Peak Productions, feel deserves a chance to boost their website. So since there are three girls and you can pick two websites, I wanted to know your choice first. That way we can push that one more towards the other girls."

This woman was crazy. I was getting nervous, hoping that Alice and Rose would get here soon, and maybe even tell this lady off. I picked up my packet and began flipping through the websites. I wasn't really paying attention, but my flipping stopped when I saw a familiar website. "This one," I said without hesitation.

Stephenie leaned over and looked at it before nodding her head. "_FallenAngels_? It's gained a large following over its existence. But it's also been noted to hold lots of controversy among the other sites--apparently the owners don't work well with the other moderators."

"I don't care. If this one doesn't get picked I'm not going to Comic Con."

"Alright then," she said nonchalantly as she made a note on a piece of paper and then buzzed the phone, asking for the other girls to join us. I felt a huge weight lift off my chest when I saw them walk in.

"You're early? Alert the press," Rose said as she sat down next to me and nudged me with her elbow.

"Fuck off," I whispered with a wink and a smile.

Stephenie began her spiel again and the girls listened, nodding in the right places. After she was done they flipped through the packets and began searching the sites on the laptops.

"Ooh, I like this one!" Rose squealed. Alice leaned over and shook her head.

"Of course because there is a whole section dedicated to you and your "fucktastic" body, and I do use that term loosely," she teased.

Rose scoffed. "Don't hate on me because I work out a lot. I take pride in my body and treat it like a temple."

I made myself busy and tried to look at a few of the websites, but none of them really caught my eye. And most of them had tons of paparazzi pictures of me out with my friends, or eating, or buying underwear. How embarrassing.

"This one has a section that made LoLCats into LoL_CA_st! Get it, instead of cats, it's the cast?" Alice chuckled, clicking through them and pointing at ones that made her laugh.

"Well this one has printable Bella paper dolls...how clever! I wonder if we picked them if they would make one for me, too," Rose questioned, clicking different clothes and putting them on my pale little paper doll's body.

The girls played around a little more, talking about things they liked and things they didn't like. We all agreed that any website that used embarrassing paparazzi pictures or ones that really invaded our, and especially my, privacy was off the list. Rose did the searches and quickly eliminated eight of the sites. With seven left, it came down to a very tricky decision, at least for them.

"I don't even know why we're arguing about this, Rosalie," Alice huffed.

"I want the website with the feature on me! I know that sounds bratty and it probably is, but I just think it's really cool!"

They were arguing between the one site that was very "Team Rosalie" and another site that created special movie graphics and banners. I had to give them credit--the fact that they could take a picture of me walking in the rain and turn it into a promo mock-up that looked better than anything Peak had done was impressive. But that was the least of the arguments.

"I get it, really I do, but he deserves it. He's a good guy and he's really taken a stand for us," Alice said. Rosalie was having second thoughts about asking Edward to come interview us for Comic Con.

"I'm sure he's a great guy, but how much do we really know about him?"

Stephenie had left the room, giving us a moment to talk about things, and now we were trying to convince Rosalie why Edward should be picked. It wasn't that she didn't like him, but for some reason she was still hung up about his brother, Emmett.

"He is Jasper's BEST FRIEND. That means that Jasper trusts him with his life. Whatever the hell happened to turn you stone cold about this, well, I hate it. Get over it. Edward is a huge fan and he would never compromise us. We're picking him."

They started talking over each other loudly and I threw my hands up in the air. "Enough. Edward's website is being picked. He's coming to interview us at Comic Con. That's that. Rosalie, we'll pick the other website that makes you look like a goddess and that's the end of it. I can't take this shit anymore. You two are fighting like schoolgirls. It's embarrassing."

Rose hung her head and they both whispered out apologies. I nodded and went back to doodling on one of the papers. Stephenie came back in a few moments later and we informed her of our decision. We also told her which sites we didn't like, although it wouldn't surprise me if one, if not both, of the ones that Peak chose came from that eight.

We went over a few more preliminary details for Comic Con before we left. As we walked outside, Rose grabbed my arm and looked over at me. "I'm really sorry, Bella. I don't know why this is such a big deal to me sometimes, but...I'm sorry."

I nodded and gave her a side hug. "It's alright, Rose. I know you're just being uptight because you're PMSing and you need to get laid," I said with a wink as I walked off. I heard her cussing and yelling, but I knew if I turned around she'd be smiling.

And just like that, I'd resolved another problem. Edward was going to interview us for Comic Con, Alice would get to see Jasper and hopefully fix things, and Rosalie was going to be interviewed by a website that thought she was the hottest thing on Earth. And me? Well, I'd done something nice for my friends, and I felt good about it.

All was right in the world.

** **

[ One month later ]

[ Alice ]

_Do not freak out! Do not freak out!_

I'd been chanting this to myself for an hour and it wasn't doing a damn bit of good. Life was complicated enough lately; I certainly didn't need this, too!

"Have you told Jasper?" Rosalie quietly asked me. I shook my head and kept pacing around the hotel room, throwing things into my suitcase. "Alice, you leave in three hours! He is supposed to be here tomorrow!"

"Do you think I don't know that?! It isn't like I want to go back to Greenland and freeze my ass off for another two weeks, Rosalie! I want to stay here and spend the weekend with Jasper!" I yelled at her.

Instantly I felt bad about it; it wasn't her fault that I had been called back to Greenland to reshoot part of one of my other movies, _The First Windstraightener_. It wasn't her fault that Jasper and I were fighting. And it definitely wasn't her fault that I was slowly coming apart at the seams. I fell into a crumpled pile on the bed and shook my head as tears slid down my cheeks.

"A.B.," Rosalie whispered as she moved closer to me. When I felt her hand gently petting my arm, I took a deep breath.

"This is exactly what I was scared of," I quietly admitted. "I didn't want to have to rely on someone like this. I didn't want my whole world to fall apart when it ended… and now it is. Everything is crumbling around me and I don't know how to fix it."

"Why does it have to end? Everyone has rough patches in their relationships, Alice. If you love Jasper then you shouldn't let one argument ruin things. I'm sure he is just as stressed and freaked out as you are."

"All we've done for the past month is fight with each other. We keep telling each other that… that… it will be easier when we're together and it is for a few days, and then it starts all over again. I can't keep doing this to him… to myself. He deserves to be happy and I… I can't make him happy anymore," I whispered. Sitting up I turned around and looked at one of my best friends. "I have to break up with Jasper."

Rosalie shook her head and moved away from me. "Alice, I love you like a sister and I would do anything for you. But I honestly believe you are making a huge mistake right now."

I opened my mouth to try and explain but she stopped me.

"Jasper loves you, Alice. He might not have said it yet but I can see it. Bella can see it. You're freaking out because he hasn't told his friends about you, scared that it will make them hate you, but he is doing it to protect you! If you hid something like this from me for nearly a year… yeah, I would probably be pissed off… but I would at least try to understand where you were coming from! This isn't a normal every day situation and all of your problems are compounded by the fact that you two never get to see each other!"

"Rosalie…"

"No!" she yelled and grabbed her coat off of the bed. "You're making a huge mistake, Alice Brandon! And I never thought that I would say this, but I am totally Team Jasper right now! Even if he is friends with that asshole, Emmett!"

I blinked in confusion as she threw her coat on and stormed out of my hotel room. I stared at the back of the door and shook my head. Everything was falling apart.

My eyes closed as I paced back and forth around the room, trying to figure out what the hell I was supposed to do. Maybe Rosalie was right; maybe I was overreacting about Jasper's choice to not tell Edward and Emmett. But I had gotten to know Edward through our Twitter accounts. I had talked to him on occasion, mostly about him coming to Comic Con next month, but it already felt like he was my friend, too!

Then there was the fact that I felt incredibly guilty about the strain this was putting on Jasper's life. I had finally convinced him to let me pay for his plane tickets, but I knew it was still a hassle for him to leave so often. It was causing problems between him and Emmett, and just making him a crabby person in general. When my Red Bull pictures leaked onto the internet and Jasper found out about it… he had literally freaked out! That was the first time he had actually ever yelled at me, and I definitely didn't like it. He had basically accused me of selling out, selling pictures of my body to promote my career. He didn't understand that those pictures were art! There wasn't anything sexual about them to me anyway. It had all become so complicated, and I didn't think I could do it anymore.

Resolving myself, I dialed Jasper's number and tried to breathe as it rang.

"Hey, I was just thinking about you," he answered. His voice was so light and carefree that it made my heart ache, knowing that I was about to hurt him.

"Jasper," I said quietly.

"What's wrong?" he immediately asked, his voice panicked.

"I'm… leaving," I told him.

"Leaving? You're leaving Portland? I thought you were staying through the end of filming."

Sighing, I shook my head. "I can't do this anymore, Jasper."

My heart was beating so fast that it was painful. I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the floor, listening to his breathing as it increased.

"What…" Jasper whispered. "Alice… no…"

I sniffed and brushed the tears off of my cheeks. "I have to leave… to go reshoot something for _Windstraightener_ and I can't… I can't do all of this anymore. Neither one of us is happy, and it isn't fair…"

"I'll come to you, Alice! We can… I can make this work! I can make you happy! Please don't…"

My wall was crumbling at the sound of his voice. I hated hurting him and I hated what I was doing, but it was for the best. Jasper would find someone who could be everything that I couldn't. He would find someone that could make him happy.

"I don't want you to come with me," I lied to him. "My flight leaves in a couple of hours and… I just need some time away from everything."

"Alice, I lo-"

Jasper's voice made my heart stop beating and I shook my head. "I have to go, Jasper," I said quickly, interrupting him.

I hung up the phone and threw it away from me, getting a little satisfaction from the fact that it broke apart on contact. Ignoring the tears running down my face and the sobs building in my chest, I finished packing.

Rosalie muttered a good-bye but mostly ignored me as I walked downstairs to meet Esme. We rode in an uncomfortable silence all the way to the airport. I was sure Rosalie had told her what I had done but Esme, being Esme, wasn't going to judge or say anything. As I was getting out of the car, trying to ignore the multitude of photographers that surrounded us, she gave me a quick hug and a reassuring smile. It didn't help. My heart was broken and nothing would be able to piece it back together.

I cried the entire flight to Greenland, and continued crying through the next day. I wasn't needed on set for another twenty-four hours, so I wallowed in self pity. I ate as much junk food as I could get my hands on and would have drunk myself into a numb oblivious coma if it wasn't for the fact that I hated the feeling of being drunk. I didn't like not being in control of my actions, even if it would have made me forget the heartache. It had been three days since I had showered or spoken to anyone back in the States; it honestly felt like I was disappearing.

A knock on the door jostled me out of my self-deprecating stupor. I had called the front desk and asked for more peanut butter cookies over an hour ago. Their prompt service was annoying. I shuffled to the door, not caring that one of my socks was nearly falling off of my foot or that Jasper's shirt that I was wearing smelled like a hobo owned it. I didn't care that I looked like a homeless orphan. I just wanted my damn cookies so that I could go back to my sulking.

"You can add a tip to my…" I started to say, but stopped when I looked up at the person standing in front of me.

Jasper was standing there, drenched from the rain outside, and looking as horrible as I felt. My hands immediately reached for him and I stopped myself, leaving them halfway outstretched towards him.

"Alice…"

"Jasper," I whispered.

His arms immediately pulled me to him and I let myself get lost in the comfort he provided. I cried as his lips moved against the top of my head and pressed myself as close to him as I could. Jasper eventually picked me up and walked us into the hotel room. He kicked the door shut behind him and dropped his bag off of his shoulder as I clung to his neck like my life depended on it.

"You can't leave me," Jasper whispered.

I nodded and wrapped my legs around his waist. His wet clothes were soaking through to mine, making me shiver, but I didn't care. Jasper moved to the bed and I stood on it, making me taller than him by a few inches. His hands cupped my face as I leaned my forehead against his.

"Alice, I lov--"

His voice was interrupted by another knocking on the door. I couldn't help but laugh when he turned around and glared at it.

"Who the hell…" he asked loudly.

"I ordered cookies," I explained.

Jasper let go of me and stormed to the door. He quickly pulled it open, shocking the poor woman holding my plate of cookies. He shoved money at her and grabbed the plate before shutting the door in her face. It was easy to tell that Jasper was frustrated; he never would have treated a lady that way.

I smiled when he dropped the plate on the table and walked back towards me. When he got close enough I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned forward to kiss him.

"I made a huge mistake. I didn't… I was scared and I thought that I couldn't ever make you happy. I'm sorry…" I whispered against his lips.

"I don't care about the past," he muttered. "I shouldn't have gotten so… out of hand."

"Jasper, I love you," I said softly. His lips turn up into a smile as he pulled me tighter against him.

"Alice Brandon, you have no idea how much I love you."

I couldn't help but giggle when he picked me up and spun the two of us in a slow circle while placing small and gentle kisses on my lips. He tripped over my suitcase and the two of us went flying onto the bed. He laughed loudly and the sound made my heart swell.

"Don't ever let me go," I whispered against his neck.

"Alice, I'm never, ever, letting you go. I promise."

To prove his point, his arms tightened around my waist and I snuggled against his chest. We could make this work. I had to make this work… my life didn't make sense without him in it.

** ** **

**LMW:** So, I gotta know…who liked Bella's POV!?

Well, we are back from vacation(s) and hope you find this chapter to your liking! Thanks for all the continued support and love for the story and for us!

And we'd like to announce that Stalkward has a twitter! Its Edweird_Cullen and he twitpics a lot of _CA _stuff as well as _CA_ Facts and really enjoys hanging out with his friends!

Also, _CA_ Angel Alice Brandon has a Twitter as well! LilMissAliceB

**JFI **says "sup" but is busy in the writing fort getting some Edward POV for the next chapter, so you can forgive her for her lack of AN, right?

**Drop us a review and tell us what you thought, please!**


	24. The Element of Surprise

**Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight, but we do own our Stalkboys!**

**[ Edward ]**

"I can't believe she tweeted at you!"

I smiled at Angela's enthusiasm and typed out a quick response to Alice's tweet to me from the day before. "She's actually really nice. She keeps telling me not to be nervous, but I mean… come on. I'm interviewing _Carlisle's Angels_!"

Laughing, I shook my head. How had I gotten lucky enough to have this opportunity? Not only would I get to meet the entire cast, but I would have another chance to talk to Bella. I was determined not to make a complete and utter ass of myself this time. I would be calm and collected instead of awkward and fumbling. Basically, I would be the exact opposite of what I had been the last time I'd seen her.

"So, I opened the forum for fan questions. Members of the site can submit their questions until next week, and then we'll need to pick the top three for you to ask," Angela explained. I nodded and watched as she showed me the thread she had opened. "The rules say that it can't be questions that invade their privacy or anything like that."

"Oh, good! I told Alice that I…"

The front door flew open and Jasper stalked through the living room. He looked…horrible. His phone was held up against his ear, and he was having a hushed conversation with someone. Jasper didn't acknowledge Angela or me; instead, he just slammed the door to his bedroom.

"What…" Angela asked, and I shook my head.

"He's been like this for awhile. I don't know if it's his job, or if something else is going on," I explained quietly.

There was a whole lot more to the story then what I let on, but I was pretty sure Jasper wouldn't want the details thrown around, even if it was to Angela. It seemed like he was never happy anymore unless it was the day he was leaving to go on a business trip. He would be the same old Jasper again, then come back and return to the moody sullen Jasper he was before. Emmett and I had tried to find out if everything was okay, but he kept pushing the two of us further and further away. It was starting to feel like we were living with a complete stranger instead of someone we'd known for years.

While I had been able to ignore it, or at least avoid it, Emmett and Jasper's friendship was downright volatile. There were several times when I was sure it would escalate into a fist fight, but Emmett would always back off. He would mutter something about wishing Jasper would trust us and leave the apartment. Jasper would lock himself in his bedroom, looking guilty and apprehensive. Things would calm down for a few days before the same cycle started all over again.

The worst had been the day that I'd found out about being chosen to interview the girls at Comic Con. Emmett and I were celebrating when Jasper came home. I had hoped he would be excited for me, and for the site, but he was absolutely livid about something. When I heard him punching the wall in the bedroom, I started to run in there to make sure he was okay. But Emmett stopped me, telling me that Jasper just needed time to work through whatever was going on. If I hadn't know any better, I would have thought that Emmett knew exactly what was happening, but as time passed I realized that he was just as clueless as I was.

I cleared my throat when Jasper's voice carried through the wall and into the living room where Angela and I were sitting. We both looked back at our laptops and started working on the forums again. I couldn't make out what Jasper was yelling, but I could tell his anger was getting worse. A few minutes later Emmett walked through the front door. He was waving around a piece of paper and smiling like it was a Willy Wonka Golden Ticket.

"Guess what I got!" he said excitedly. I opened my mouth to guess, but he interrupted me before I could speak. "They're doing a FanFic panel at Comic Con, and I got invited to participate! I was like 'dude I'm already gonna be there!' and they were like 'Oh my God! How perfect!' Insane, huh?"

"Wow, Em, that's…great," Angela said hesitantly.

I smiled and nodded. Our lack of enthusiasm seemed to bother Emmett.

"What's wrong?" he asked. I felt bad when his arms fell to his sides and he looked like a rejected puppy. "I really thought you guys would be--"

He was interrupted by Jasper coming out of his bedroom. We all looked up as he walked into the room, and I couldn't help but gasp. I had been wrong before. Jasper wasn't angry, he was devastated. His eyes were red from crying and he looked…broken.

"What's wrong?" Emmett asked him.

Jasper rubbed his forehead while trying to take a deep breath. "I can't…" he mumbled before looking up at us. "I need to borrow some money and…I can't tell you why, but it's really important."

Without hesitating, Emmett reached into his back pocket and took his wallet out. Angela and I watched as he pulled out his debit card and gave it to Jasper.

"There is still some money left from my student loan, a couple thousand. Is that enough?" Emmett asked him.

Jasper nodded and muttered an embarrassed appreciation. "I'll pay you back…"

Emmett shook his head. "Don't worry about it right now. If you need it then take it. We can worry about the rest later. Just take care of whatever you need to." He gave Jasper's shoulder a reassuring squeeze before heading for his bedroom. "I need to respond to this e-mail, but if you guys need me…"

Jasper nodded and sniffed while shifting nervously from foot to foot. We stood there for a few seconds in complete awkwardness until Jasper left to go back into his bedroom. A few minutes later he came back out with an empty duffle bag in his hand.

"Are you okay?" I quietly asked Jasper. He nodded. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Can you take me to the airport? I'm going to be gone for a while, and I don't want to leave my truck there."

"Yeah, sure, whatever you need. When is your flight?" I asked him.

"A couple of hours," Jasper answered quietly. "I just need to pack a few things and then we can leave."

Nodding, I pushed away from the couch and set my laptop next to Angela. She said she would finish up for me and I went to go find my shoes. I stood by the door waiting until Jasper was ready. He rejoined us in the living room and I gave him a reassuring smile before heading outside.

We drove in complete silence for awhile; the tension around us was thick. I had several questions I wanted to ask but didn't want to be rude. If he wanted me to know, then he would tell me. I reminded myself not to take it personally. As I stopped at a red light, Jasper sighed loudly.

"I have to tell you something," his voice said quietly.

"Okay," I nodded. Looking to my left, I saw Jasper shifting nervously. He was shaking his head and slightly rocking back and forth. He looked like he was about to have a fucking heart attack. "Hey, its okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to…"

Jasper shook his head. "I have to tell you. I should have told you a lot sooner."

I just sat there and watched him, letting him work up to it. I didn't want to push him, even though the suspense was killing me. The light turned green and I started driving again.

"I've been dating Alice Brandon since we went to Vancouver," Jasper said quickly.

My hands jerked on the steering wheel as I processed what he had just told me. My car went up onto the curb and I quickly pulled it the other direction. We were almost side-swiped by another passing car and I cussed loudly while trying to straighten the car out. We finally stopped at another red light and I turned to look at Jasper.

"You what?!" I yelled. He winced but I ignored it. "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"No," he answered quietly.

"Emmett was right?! You _were_ in the pictures! That's why you've been gone…" my head was spinning and I felt dizzy. My best friend was dating Alice Brandon. THE. ALICE. BRANDON. "Why…how could you not tell us?!"

Jasper's head fell forward. "I…was so…I just…I didn't know how to."

"Well you could have started out by saying, 'Hey guys, I'm dating Alice Brandon!'" I yelled at him.

"I thought I was protecting her and protecting you guys. I should have told you, but I freaked out. Then Emmett went off on the whole boot thing, and I…"

"Is this why she's been talking to me on Twitter?" I asked him and then panicked. "Is this why the website got picked for Comic Con?!"

Jasper shook his head quickly. "No, Edward I swear! Alice really liked you from the beginning. And the truth is that Bella picked your site. She picked it without Alice or Rosalie having anything to do with it."

I stared at him until someone behind us honked. The light had changed and I slowly pulled forward. We were both quiet again as I drove us towards the airport. There was so much to wrap my head around…I just…Holy shit.

"Where are you going?" I asked Jasper.

"Greenland," he answered. His voice sounded strained and panicked.

I shook my head and looked at him. "What the hell is in Greenland?"

Jasper's lips became a hard line across his face and it was several seconds before he answered me. "Alice went to Greenland and I…I have to go and get her."

"Get her?"

"She…broke up with me and I…I have to go and show her that we belong together," Jasper whispered. "I have to tell her that I love her."

"Alice broke up with you? But you're flying to Greenland to get her back?" I asked him.

He sighed before launching into the full story. As I listened to him explaining how stressed their relationship had been over the past few months, it all started to make sense. This explained why he had been such a moody asshole and why he was gone all the time. It all fit.

"So, the only flight I could get out of Seattle leaves in an hour and a half and then I'll have an eight hour layover in New York tonight. I should be in Greenland tomorrow afternoon," Jasper finished.

"When will you be back?"

He shrugged and shook his head. "I'm not coming back without her. I'll stay as long as I need to."

"Jasper," I muttered. "What about…what about your job? What about--"

"If it was Bella, would you care about your job? Would you care about anything besides making things right with her?" he asked loudly.

I shook my head because I knew I wouldn't. I would drop everything in my life to make her happy. "Do I need to call anyone for you? Your boss?"

"I've already taken care of it. I'm on an extended leave. I just told them I had an emergency," Jasper said.

I nodded and the car got quiet again.

"I'm…really sorry that I lied to you. I was so scared that something would happen. I thought that if I could control everything, then I could keep it all together. But I lost everything in the process--I've pushed away my best friends and made the woman I love…" Jasper's voice broke and his shoulders started shaking as he cried.

"You haven't lost everything, Jasper. We're still your friends. Go take care of this and then…well, I guess when you come back then we can deal with everything else," I said quietly, trying to reassure him.

Jasper nodded and wiped the tears off his cheeks.

"But you're telling Emmett. And I would prefer not to be there when you do," I muttered. A few seconds later we both laughed.

"Do you think he'll hate me?" Jasper asked.

I pulled up to the drop-off zone at the airport and shook my head. "No, but you better be prepared to hear him say 'I told you so,' until Jesus comes back."

Jasper laughed again and pulled his seatbelt off. "Thank you, Edward. Really, I don't know what I would do without you guys."

"Tell Alice I said hi," I told him.

Jasper smiled and nodded before getting out of the car. I watched as he walked through the revolving doors and I shook my head. Sighing, I pulled away from the curb.

Comic Con was a month away and I realized that no matter what, all of our lives were about to change because of it. I really hoped it would all be for the better.

** **

**[ Jasper ]**

All day I'd sat at my desk and been the most unproductive worker that society had ever seen. A few hours I just stared out the window, and then I doodled on paper, and eventually ended up humming out every single verse and chorus to "99 Bottles," which is a big feat. By that time, I'd gone out and taken a long lunch, grabbing a sandwich and stopping by one of my favorite music stores to grab some strings and picks. The rest of the day I spent playing Spider Solitaire and doing minimal work on a write-up for the station's blog, which was becoming more and more my responsibility as well.

I couldn't wait for the weekend; I'd get to see Alice and everything would be great again. It felt like the weekdays were just blips until I could see her beautiful smile. I'd all but rushed home from work to get started on packing my bag so I could get to sleep, wake up, and go to the airport. Suddenly, my life had become an ongoing countdown to the next time I'd see her.

I was just pulling into the driveway when my phone buzzed and I saw her number. I answered with a huge smile on my face. "Hey, I was just thinking about you."

"Jasper," she said, and my whole body tensed; she sounded so sad.

"What's wrong?" I asked quickly, my fingers drumming against the steering wheel.

"I'm…leaving."

My heart dropped and I thought I was going to be sick. I jumped out of the car and headed towards the house. My pulse was beating ridiculously fast as I busted through the door, past Edward and Angela, and into my bedroom. "Leaving? You're leaving Portland? I thought you were staying through the end of filming."

There was a long pause followed by her soft sigh. "I can't do this anymore, Jasper."

I felt the beginnings of a panic attack coming on. My chest began heaving and I was seeing spots in my vision. My legs gave out and I collapsed onto the floor. "What…Alice…no…"

"I have to leave…to go re-shoot something for _Windstraightener,_ and I can't…I can't do all of this anymore. Neither one of us is happy, and it isn't fair…"

_This was not happening. This was flat out not happening. Alice was not leaving me. I loved Alice! Why couldn't she see that?_

I was desperate. "I'll come to you, Alice! We can…I can make this work! I can make you happy! Please don't…"

"I don't want you to come with me. My flight leaves in a couple of hours and…I just need some time away from everything."

"Alice, I lo-" I tried to say, hoping this was all a bad dream.

"I have to go, Jasper," she said as she hung up the phone.

That click was signifying the ending of the best relationship I'd ever had. Alice was everything I could ever dream of, and the thought of no longer having her made a huge hole in my chest. My body began shaking and I knew I was crying but I couldn't find it in myself to stop. I leaned against the wall and grunted in frustration, beating at it with my fists.

_Alice, my Alice, was gone._

I finally calmed down some and decided that I wasn't going to let us go out like this. No, our love was stronger than this. Whatever I'd done, I could fix it. Like the Beatles sang, "_All you need is love_" and trust me, I had more than enough of that for me and Alice both.

My phone glared at me from the floor and suddenly I knew what I had to do. Even though I didn't want to, I had no other choice. I dialed and waited while the phone rang once, twice, three times…

"Hello cousin," Rosalie said in a cheery voice.

"I need to know where she's going," I said, sniffling.

"Jasper, I just want you to know, before all this goes down, that I think Alice is—"

"I need to know, damnit! I'm in love with her and she wants to leave me and it just can't happen like that! I can't do this without her! She's making a huge mistake!"

"Calm down there, killer. I was just gonna say that I'm on your side."

"Oh," I said quietly.

I heard her laughing on the other end and the sounds of papers rustling. "She's staying at the Hotel Kulusuk, which is not far from the airport apparently. She's staying under the name Anastasia Bongwater."

"Rosalie, I can't thank you enough—"

"If you don't fix this, Jasper Whitlock, I am going to out you to the papers."

"Thank you, Rose, really. I owe you."

"Again, you owe me _again._ Let's just say I'm keeping a running tab," she teased.

We said goodbye and hung up. I began to Google flights to Kulusuk and found that it was very expensive. After checking my bank accounts and my credit cards, I was still going to be short.

"Fucking A," I whispered to myself as I knew I was going to have to ask someone to help me out. I called my parents and explained the situation to them, but they weren't able to help me until Monday, and I couldn't wait that long. I was going to have to ask someone else.

Walking out into the living room, I heard the hushed whispers and gasps, and I knew I looked like shit.

"What's wrong?" Emmett asked.

My eyes were throbbing and I didn't really know where I was going to find the strength to fight with Emmett, if that's what was about to happen. "I can't…" I took a deep breath and looked up at everyone, who was watching me nervously, "I need to borrow some money and…I can't tell you why, but it's important."

Emmett reached into his pocket and handed me his debit card. "There's still some money left from my student loan—a couple thousand. Is that enough?"

My eyes bugged out of my face. Of all the people to help me, I had never expected it to be Emmett. I felt my face heat up as I stammered. "I'll pay you back…"

Emmett told me that we could worry about all that later, and Edward just sat there with his jaw hanging to the floor. I didn't know what to think, so I just nodded and thanked him again as he squeezed my shoulder and left the room.

I rushed back into my room and booked the more than expensive flight. I'd have to take a flight from Seattle to New York, to Copenhagen, Denmark before I could catch a smaller flight to Greenland. I walked back out in the living room and stood in front of Edward, my eyes staring at my feet.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked me. I nodded. "Is there anything I can do?"

I bit my lip before I spoke. "Can you take me to the airport? I'm going to be gone for a while, and I don't want to leave my truck there."

I told him my flight would probably leave in a few hours and I needed to pack my stuff and he agreed. I grabbed some clothes that were lying around my room, not sure whether they were dirty or not, but not really having enough energy to care. I stuffed them in the bag as well as a few other things I might need and slipped into my boots. I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked out to the living room where Edward was waiting and ready to go.

I chucked my bag in the backseat and climbed into the passenger side, letting the seat belt stretch tight across my chest. My hand was slapping against my leg as I stared at the clock on Edward's radio. We pulled up to a stop light and I took a deep breath. "I have to tell you something."

I started to crack my neck and try to shake out my fears, hoping I was about to do the right thing, and not end up in a heap of trouble. Edward tried to talk me out of it, always being so understanding. But I knew I had to say it.

I cleared my throat in one last attempt to man up. "I've been dating Alice Brandon since we went to Vancouver," I spit out.

Edward must have been caught off guard because he swerved the wheel and the car started shaking as it hit the curb. He corrected and looked over at me. "You what?! Are you fucking kidding me?!"

And cue the moment that I felt like the biggest asshole. _Ever._

"No," was all I could say.

Edward began ranting about how Emmett was right about the pictures and how all the signs were there, and I began to slink further into my seat.

"Why…how could you not tell us?!" he screamed.

My head fell forward and I tried to take his anger like a man. "I…was so…I just…I didn't know how to."

"Well you could have started out by saying 'Hey guys, I'm dating Alice Brandon!"

I tried to explain that I was trying to protect them and Alice, but then Edward shocked me.

"Is that why she's been talking to me on Twitter? Is this why the website got picked for Comic Con?"

And again, I felt like a douche. Here my best friend was thinking that Alice was only picking him because of me and the fact that I was her boyfriend. But he was so confused. He had earned this all on his own. "Bella picked your site. She picked it without Alice or Rosalie having anything to do with it."

A car honked behind us and Edward took off again. We didn't say anything to each other for a long time.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Greenland." I explained to him what happened on the phone with Alice and how I had a plan to get her back. He asked when I would be back.

"I'm not coming back without her. I'll stay as long as I need to."

"Jasper, what about…what about your job? What about—"

I leaned towards him. "If it was Bella, would you care about your job? Would you care about anything besides making things right with her?"

He started to understand better and I had hoped that maybe he wouldn't hate me forever.

"I'm really sorry that I lied to you. I was so scared that something would happen. I thought that if I could control everything, then I could keep it all together; but I lost everything in the process. I've pushed away my best friends and made the woman I love…" I stopped because the tears were coming again.

Edward was such a great friend. He always said the right things, and just by being supportive of me and my decision, I felt more confident that everything could work out in the end. As I thanked him, he smiled.

"Tell Alice I said hi."

I nodded and got out of the car, grabbing my duffle bag and heading into the airport. I printed out my boarding pass and thanked the heavens above that my passport was still good from that time I went backpacking through Europe with some friends during college. I sat down at the gate after grabbing a bottle of soda from one of the newsstands and watched the clock above the service desk until it was time to board.

My mind was in so many places. I was trying to figure out how I was going to fix things with Alice, how I was going to ever be able to repay Edward, and how the hell I was going to tell Emmett about all of this without him pounding my face in and then screaming out about how he was right over and over and over again.

I boarded the plane and tucked my hat on my head, closing my eyes for the long day ahead of me. I must have fallen asleep because I woke up when the flight attendant announced we were in New York. I exited the plane and took a seat at one of the little restaurants where I got dinner. I pulled a notebook out that I had bought at the airport in Seattle and began listing all the things I loved about Alice. I thought if I could show this to her, then maybe it would make a difference.

I worked for hours, pouring my heart out into the pages. I looked up at the clock and saw that my plane was about ready to board. Had I been sitting at the restaurant for almost eight hours? Wow. Looking down at the notebook, I had pages upon pages worth of notes that I loved about Alice. I shut it and tucked it into my bag, smiling to myself as I took my seat on the plane. I had a renewed sense of hope as the plane took off and was up in the air. Soon I would be face to face with my girl and all would be right in the world.

** **

It was raining and ice cold when I made it to Greenland. I waited outside the airport and hailed a cab, which took me to the Hotel Kulusuk. By that time I was soaking wet, and my boots squeaked as I walked into the lobby of the hotel. The woman at the front desk began talking to me in a language I didn't recognize.

"English?" I asked sweetly.

She held up her hand and walked off, coming back with a man. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, I am looking for Anastasia Bongwater's room, please."

The man studied me for a few seconds before clicking away on his computer. "And who are you?"

"I'm a very dear friend of hers and I have come a long way."

His eyes narrowed until the woman pointed at something at the screen. "Your name?"

"Jasper Whitlock," I said quietly.

"Ah, yes, Mr. Jasper, we have your name on here. She is in room 216, you can take the elevator right around the corner. Thank you," he smiled.

I walked to the elevator and pulled out my phone, sending another thank you to Rosalie. She replied back with a "put it on my tab" joke, and I shook my head as I shoved it back into my pocket. The elevator dinged and I stepped off, walking to her door. I stood there for a few minutes, trying to work up some courage. Then I reminded myself that I had already traveled this far; the only thing holding me back from Alice was this wooden door.

I knocked and waited for what felt like centuries until the door opened.

"You can add a tip to my…" she started to say before realized I wasn't who she was expecting. I took her in, and boy did she look rough. One of her socks was barely hanging on her feet, and her clothes were crumpled and…the t-shirt she was wearing was mine. Seeing her wear my clothes gave me a boost of courage. Obviously she still felt something for me. We could fix this.

Her arms reached out for me but stopped half way.

"Alice," I started.

"Jasper," she said, her wide eyes looking back at me.

I couldn't hold back any longer and pulled her tightly into my chest. My body felt alive just being near her. I kissed the top of her head and felt her fragile body shaking. I hugged her tighter.

"You can't leave me," I begged.

She nodded and wrapped her tiny frame around me, her legs locking around my waist. I set her down on the bed, where she stood up and looked down at me. Hey eyes looked just as miserable as mine must have.

"Alice, I lov—" I started again, seeing this as the perfect moment. A knock on the door ruined it. "Who the hell…"

"I ordered cookies," Alice said. I couldn't help but smile at her cuteness.

I stomped over to the door, angry at it for ruining my moment; I thrust it open and threw some money at the woman at the door, snagging the plate of cookies before shutting it again. I set the plate down on the small table and walked back over to Alice. She put her arms around my neck and leaned in to me.

"I made a huge mistake. I didn't…I was scared and I thought that I couldn't ever make you happy. I'm sorry," she whispered.

"I don't care about the past. I shouldn't have gotten so…out of hand."

"Jasper, I love you," she said. My heart immediately stopped. Time stopped. The world stopped.

"Alice Brandon, you have no idea how much I love you." I kissed her, picking her up and twirling her around. Of course, I didn't count on falling on her suitcase, but I did, and we fell onto the bed laughing.

"Don't ever let me go," she begged.

"Alice, I'm never, ever, letting you go. I promise." I pulled her tight to my body and she snuggled into me. Her nose skimmed across my chest and I felt a tingle surge through my body, starting at my toes.

I pulled her chin up to look at me and stared into her beautiful eyes. "I love you," I said again, and I'll be damned if angels didn't sing and birds didn't chirp.

"I love you, Jasper," she whispered.

Our lips met and my whole body melted into warm sugar. I leaned over her, my nostrils inhaling her, my lungs breathing her in. Her ballerina-like leg wrapped around me, tugging me closer. My hands slid across her body, hums of contentment coming from her lips. Soon we were naked and bare, exposing ourselves to each other fully.

That was the first night I had ever made love. I was a lucky son of a bitch that I got to experience that with the love of my life, Alice Brandon. Our bodies molded and formed to each other, connecting in a way that I had never felt before. Her heart was beating frantically against mine as we worked out a rhythm that sent the both of us over the edge. Her cries of passion and need for me almost caused my heart to burst open, and I felt tears spring to my eyes.

I was in love; there was no doubt about that. But what I never planned on was feeling so complete. I knew then, in that exact moment afterward, when we lay together panting and caressing, that she was my forever.

"Love you," Alice mumbled as she curled her body into mine and fell asleep, "always."

I tugged her close and kissed her forehead softly. I could not live one more second of my life if Alice wasn't in it.

And I was pretty sure I wasn't going to have to.

** **

**[ Emmett ]**

Glancing out the window, I saw Edward's car pulling out of the driveway and shook my head. I wasn't as stupid as I looked. I knew that Jasper was somehow connected to Alice Brandon, boots or no fucking boots; he was in those damn pictures.

That's why I had tried to be patient, warning Edward when the naked Red Bull pictures leaked, and giving Jasper as much space as I could. _But God damn!_ When he is all pouty and mouthy and just a bigger pain in the ass than usual, it's hard not to get in his face. But then he would look so fucking panicked that it made me feel sorry for him. So I would walk away, wishing that one of my best friends would fucking trust me. Whatever it was, it had to be easier to finally talk about than to keep that shit bottled up. But we continued liked that for months, walking on eggshells and ignoring the mother fucking pink elephant in the room.

So when Edward and Angela basically blew off my epic-fucking-news, I knew something was going on. Then Jasper walked out of his room looking like he was on the verge of losing it, I knew that the shit had finally hit the fan. The look on everyone's faces when I had given him my debit card pissed me off. I wasn't as big of an asshole as I appeared, and even if Jasper had been a royal asshat for the past few months, he was still one of my best friends. I had the money; he needed it, so why not give it to him?

I replied to the e-mail about Comic Con and walked back into the living room, nodding at Angela when she looked up at me. I went into the kitchen and fixed myself a healthy snack, offering her one as well. Once I was done with apple slices and cheese, I walked back into the living room and handed her a plate before sinking down into my recliner.

"What you did for Jasper was really nice," Angela said.

I nodded and shoved a piece of apple in my mouth. She watched me for a second before turning on the couch to face me. Internally I groaned, because I was not in the mood for a fucking heart to heart conversation about my friendship with Jasper.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" she asked quietly.

I swallowed and nodded my head again. "Jasper is tougher than people think. He may seem all sensitive and shit, but he's a hard ass when he needs to be. He'll be fine."

Angela nodded and took a bite of one of her apple slices. "So, Comic Con, huh? That's exciting."

"Should be fun. The FanFic panel at VanCon was total bullshit; hopefully this one won't be as lame. I'm really not looking forward to telling a room full of people about why I chose to write the story, but I guess I'm going to have to," I said nonchalantly.

"Will you be the only guy?"

"Dunno," I said with a shrug. "I didn't think to ask. We don't really talk about shit like that when we chat and stuff."

Angela's face broke into a huge smile before she started laughing. I watched her, wondering what the fuck I'd missed.

"What?" I asked after a minute. She just shook her head and kept laughing. "Well, what the fuck, Ang! Tell me!"

"Emmett, you do realize that ninety percent of the people who write and read FanFic are women, right?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "So?"

"And these women have no idea that 'Little Debbie' is a guy," she explained slowly.

I shook my head. "What the fuck is your point?"

"My point is that you're probably going to show up at Comic Con and people will be expecting a chick. You'll probably be the only guy on the panel."

I nodded and leaned my head back against the chair. "Hmm."

"That doesn't bother you?" Angela asked.

"Fuck no. Element of surprise!" I told her. "Keep those bitches on their toes!"

Angela laughed but went back to working on the website. I ate the rest of my apples and did a quick round of Wii fit. I was in the middle of trying to balance myself on the board when Edward walked back inside.

"Did you make it in time?" I asked him.

He nodded, avoiding eye contact.

"Is everything okay?" I tried again. When he nodded and still wouldn't look at me, I narrowed my eyes and threw an empty water bottle at him.

"Ow, Em!"

I rolled my eyes because there was no way that shit hurt. "What happened? Something happened in the car, I can tell."

Edward shook his head and tried to start up a conversation with Angela. I interrupted them.

"Did Jasper tell you what's going on?"

My brother took a deep breath and sighed loudly before looking up at me. He watched me for a second before I nodded for him to continue.

"Emmett," Edward warned. "I'm only going to tell you this once. Okay?"

My arms crossed across my chest and I nodded. "What?"

"Jasper is dealing with a lot right now. He needs us to be his friends, not the fucking Spanish Inquisition. So don't ask me what's going on or what happened, because I'm not going to tell you. Jasper will tell us when he gets ready."

I felt my eyebrows pull together while I listened to him. Could he be anymore cryptic?

"Will you at least tell me if he's okay?" I asked him.

Edward nodded. "He'll be fine."

"He'll _be_ fine? Or he _is_ fine?"

Angela laughed quietly while my brother shook his head. "Just drop it, Emmett. God!"

Edward opened his laptop and I knew the conversation was finished. I sighed before turning back to the Wii fit. I had to resist the urge to not punch the TV screen when my Mii was telling me that I was being unmotivated. I flipped him off before choosing to resume the work-out.

** **

A couple of weeks later I was sitting in my recliner staring at Jasper, wondering if he was purposefully fucking with me. He had that shit eating smile on his face and his hands shoved into his pockets while rocking back and forth on his heels.

"Emmett?" Edward asked. I gave him a brief glance before looking back at Jasper.

"You're fucking with me, aren't you?"

Edward laughed while Jasper shook his head. "No. I've gotten a media pass from the station, and Edward was given two for the site."

"If you don't want to go, I guess I can ask Angela," Edward muttered.

"Fuck no!" I yelled and got out of my chair. "If anyone is getting media privileges to this thing, it's me! After what happened last time…I fucking deserve it! So this will get me into a party that Rosalie is throwing?"

Jasper nodded. "She's hosting this cocktail party thing. It will be a few fans that won tickets and then media coverage."

"If either one of you is fucking with me I'll shave off your eyebrows while you're sleeping," I warned them.

Jasper slapped my back before heading back towards his bedroom. I watched him go before turning back to Edward.

"Still keeping your vow of silence?" I asked my brother.

He rolled his eyes before nodding. "He will tell us when he's ready."

I shook my head but didn't push the issue. Jasper had come back from…wherever the fuck he went, and was now the happy go lucky Jasper that we all knew from before. He laughed and joked around and had started working out with me every morning. The only conclusion that I could come to was that Jasper had gotten laid. Good for him, at least one of us was.

"Hey Em," Edward muttered.

"Huh?" I asked, scrolling through my phone.

"I'm proud of you."

I stopped scrolling and looked at my brother. "For what?"

"A sentence with the words Rosalie and cocktail and no cock jokes from you. That's impressive."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks."

When he left me alone in the living room, I smiled to myself. The reformation of Emmett Cullen was nearly complete.

** **

**JFI:** *holds arms up* SCOREEEEEE JASPER!!!!! We're getting to the good stuff. Everyone hold on to your butts, and if you aren't following these people on Twitter... you need to! It will make upcoming chapters ever more fuckawesome.

**LMW:** hey gang! Things are moving along again, and who isn't stoked for Comic Con?! If you want to submit a fan question, leave it in a review or send it to Stalkward's Twitter Edweird_Cullen because he is collecting them for his big interview!

Thanks for all your support and love for us and the whole gang! And go check out 100 Spider Monkeys if they are on tour near you! That Alice Brandon sure knows how to rock!


	25. Leaving on a Jet Plane

**Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight, but LMW owns a mini-Stalksper that JFI got her for her birthday!**

[ Emmett ]

_Shoes? Check. Camera? Check. Extra cash? Check. My Little Pony sleeping bag?_

My eyes narrowed at the fucking glittery sleeping bag that sat on the table next to the rest of the shit I was packing for tomorrow. I glared at my brother and Jasper from across the room, knowing one of their asses had put that shit there, and threw an extra rolled up pair of socks at them. They both tried to look innocent, but I definitely wasn't buying it.

"You two can kiss my ass if you think I'm sleeping on a sidewalk again. And you can really kiss my ass if you think I would sleep on a sidewalk with this damn thing." I pushed it off the table before kicking it towards Jasper.

He bent down to pick it up, chuckling like an idiot, before throwing it back into the closet. He held his hands up while I continued to glare at him. "I swear it wasn't me."

I was about to call him on his bullshit when I was interrupted by my brother laughing like an old fat man. Jasper and I both turned to look, seeing Edward leaning over the couch actually howling with laughter.

"Are you high?" I asked after watching him for a minute.

Jasper snorted when he shook his head. "Are you drunk?"

Edward finally sat up and wiped his eyes. "I never get you, Em. Then I finally do… and fuck me, the look on your face was priceless."

Jasper laughed at Edward's enthusiasm and I just shook my head. "Lame."

I went back to my suitcase, making sure that I had everything. I ignored Jasper and Edward fist bumping at my brother's accomplishment of "pranking" me and went back in to my room to get my suit. Making sure not to wrinkle it, I put it into the garment bag, along with my tie and dress shirt. After zipping it up, I looked up to find the two of them staring at me.

"What?" I asked them.

Jasper shook his head while Edward's smile widened. My brother motioned to the garment bag. "A suit? I didn't even know you owned one."

I rolled my eyes before setting my two bags by the front door. "I got it for graduation next month, asshole. And I figured that if I'm going to that cocktail party, then I needed something nice to wear."

"No screen printed tuxedo shirt?" Jasper asked.

"Oh no, that's packed, too. After all, that shirt says-"

"I'm here to party," Jasper finished for me. He smiled at me while shaking his head.

"What is it with you and the super-sized suitcase?" I asked him, pointing at the monstrous bag at his feet. "Isn't a duffle bag more your style?"

"All of the recording equipment for the station is in here. I don't want to have to carry two bags."

"You're gonna have to check that bag, and you're going to regret it. Something always happens to checked baggage," I muttered.

Jasper ignored my warning and looked at Edward. He was playing with the new high tech video camera he had picked up, specifically for his interview with the cast. The past few days he had taken a habit to playing with it constantly, making sure he knew exactly how it worked. It was getting a little old, but his exuberance was kind of endearing.

They started talking about what questions he was going to ask the cast, and I left the two of them to go back to my bedroom. I swiveled in my chair, waiting for the computer to start up, and mentally started preparing my answers for the FanFiction panel. I wasn't really sure what kinds of questions they were going to ask, but I figured that going over generic answers in my head wouldn't be a bad idea.

As I mentally coached myself on the answers, I pulled up my story and started printing out a few copies. I watched as the paper moved through the machine, letting the humming noise from the printer calm my nerves.

Was I nervous about the panel? Fuck no. I knew those chicks would probably be surprised to see a dude, but I had a suspicion that there were more guys involved in FanFiction than people believed. Over the last few months I had decided that it really wasn't something to be "ashamed" of, per say. And if making an ass of myself at a convention panel was what it took for more dudes to be comfortable with "coming out," then I would gladly take one for the team. There needed to be less estrogen in this fandom; that was for damn sure.

So yeah… the panel wasn't my worry. What did worry me was Rosalie-fucking-Hale. I have always been an ass; I know this and will admit to it freely. But since VanCon, I really came to realize just how fucking crude I was to her. I thought that it would be funny, asking a super hot chick to sign a picture of my chubby, but really, it just made me look like a huge douche bag.

How I acted was no different than what those fucking Angeleers did. They were a group of middle-aged men that would go in under the guise of being devoted fans, and maybe some of them were, but a few of them were literally fucking crazy. They would take things way beyond the realm of normal behavior and into something totally fucked up, and they all seemed to have a rather strong obsession with Rosalie. Unfortunately, all of the crazy behavior overshadowed the majority of them that were normal.

After the pages finished printing, I stacked them together and bound them with big ass clips. After making sure they wouldn't fall apart on me, I gathered them all up and went back into the living room. Jasper and Edward were laughing and both smiled when I walked in.

"What's that?" Edward asked, nodding to the stack of paper I had in my hand.

"I printed out a few copies of my story."

His eyes widened before he laughed. "Are you serious? Why would you need to- -"

I slipped the papers in the front of my suitcase and quickly zipped it up before turning around and cutting Edward off. "A few of my readers are going to be there, and they asked if I would bring them a copy and sign it for them."

My arms crossed across my chest and I glared at both of them, daring them to say something.

It was a few seconds before Jasper cleared his throat. "But why?"

I rolled my eyes and grabbed a banana off of the bar. "When are you fuckers gonna learn that I am officially the bad ass of _Carlisle's Angels_ FanFiction?"

Edward laughed and I shrugged.

"Laugh all you want, brother man, but in a few days you will see just how bad ass my FanFic takeover will be. I've been plotting for a while, and I know this shit will go off without a hitch."

"Emmett," Jasper's voice warned.

I shook my head and smiled. "Don't worry; I've got it under control."

** ** **

[ Edward ]

"Plaid, plaid, or plaid?" I asked Angela. She watched as I held up the three different shirts for her opinion.

She pointed to one and smiled. "That one; it's nice but kinda casual at the same time."

It was the same one that Jasper had suggested, too. I slipped it off of the hanger and tossed it on the bed with the rest of the clothes I was taking to California.

This was so different than how it had been going to Vancouver. It wasn't rushed or stressed, and even though I was extremely nervous, it felt like all of this was happening for a reason. _Like it was predestined_? I mentally scolded myself for sounding crazy, even if part of my heart really did believe it. But how else could this be explained? There were so many coincidences that made it hard to overlook.

First, there was Alice and Jasper. _In what universe did things like that happen?_ My best friend just _happened_ to fall in love with a close friend of Bella's? Alice had been e-mailing me, telling me that I didn't need to be nervous, and basically giving me inside information about Bella's personality. It sort of seemed like she was coaching me through this and it made a huge difference knowing that I would walk into that interview having a friend there.

Second, when the hell did I become a crusader? Not once in my entire life had I ever taken a stand about something. I always sat back and let other people dictate what needed to be done, and I simply followed what everyone else did. But then, something that I had seen in Bella changed me. I didn't want to just sit back and let the paparazzi walk all over her personal life like everyone fan did. I wanted to make a stand and show that even if I was alone, which I wasn't, that it was not okay for them to act like that. I had gone to Vancouver as an obsessive fan; now I was going to California as an activist.

Emmett, Jasper and I were not the same people that we had been the last time we'd met the girls. We weren't obsessed-okay, maybe we were still a little obsessed-but it was channeled in the right direction now. Jasper was obsessed with Alice as her boyfriend. I was obsessed with making sure that people wouldn't take advantage of Bella. And Emmett was obsessed with… well, he was still obsessed with Rosalie, but I think it was more of an obsession to apologize to her.

"You okay?" Angela's voice brought me out of my trance, and I nodded while throwing socks on the bed.

"Yeah, just trying to focus."

I half-heartedly listened while she told me about the final questions that were picked, and I absently nodded in all of the right places. It wasn't that I didn't want to listen to her, but I just had more important things on my mind.

As if she had known I was worried, my phone vibrated with an e-mail from Alice. I couldn't help but laugh at her timing when I read what she had sent me.

_Stop worrying. You'll be fine. Bella likes the color blue, FYI. Can't wait to see you guys!_

I deleted the e-mail and tossed my phone on the dresser before noticing that the shirt I had planned on wear was blue. Again, the coincidences made it easy to believe that a higher being was arranging all of this. I pulled a couple more blue shirts from my closet and finished packing.

** ** **

"Are you nervous?" I asked Jasper. He was sitting in his bean bag, staring at the wall above the TV, and not really paying attention to anything that was going on around him. He shook his head without looking at me. "Do you know when you're going to tell Emmett?"

Jasper's eyes widened and he quickly looked around the room, no doubt looking for my brother. I couldn't help but laugh because Emmett had gone to bed over an hour ago. That was proof enough that Jasper hadn't been paying attention to anything we'd been saying all evening.

"Sorry," he muttered, shaking his head. "I'm kind of out of it."

"So I noticed."

Jasper rubbed his eyes. "I'm just… I need to tell Emmett."

I nodded but didn't say anything.

"He's going to be so pissed," he said quietly.

"What are you waiting on? I mean I know he can be a jackass, but he is still your friend, Jasper. He cares about you and we were both really worried… before."

Jasper shrugged and picked at the side of the beanbag. "I don't know what I'm waiting on. I guess I just have to work up the courage to tell him."

"If you want my opinion, he already knows. Emmett isn't as stupid as everyone thinks he is."

"What?" Jasper asked. "What do you mean 'he already knows'?"

I turned the TV off and turned to look at my friend. "The day that the Red Bull pictures leaked, remember that?"

"Yes," he growled.

"Emmett seemed to know that you would be upset about that. Now in my mind, if you weren't Alice's boyfriend and just a fan, you would have been ecstatic about it. Hell, you probably would have asked Angela to make you duplicate copies. Instead—"

"I acted like a complete asshole." Jasper finished for me.

"No, you acted like Alice's boyfriend. You didn't want millions of people seeing her like that, and Emmett knew it. When I heard your fist going through the wall in the bedroom, he stopped me from going in there. He knew you needed to deal with it, just like he knew you needed the money for Greenland. Granted, he didn't know what it was for, but he knew it meant a lot to you. He isn't going to be mad that you kept this a secret, Jasper. He's going to be upset that you didn't trust him enough to tell him."

"I do trust him. Just like I trust you," he said quietly. "With Emmett, it's just different. You know how we are. Everything ends up in a competition and after Bootgate, I didn't want to let him win. I still don't. Its childish and extremely immature, but it's the truth."

I nodded because it was the truth.

"I have to tell him eventually," Jasper muttered. He smiled and looked up at me before continuing. "Alice is coming to visit next month after their last show in Seattle. I told her we could stay at a hotel, but she wants to stay here. I really think she wants to become friends with you guys."

The idea of Alice coming and staying here both excited and scared the shit out of me. On one hand she was Alice, Jasper's girlfriend. On the other hand, she was Alice Brandon, movie star. It just seemed surreal that she would be coming and staying in our apartment.

"After the way Ann acted, it means a lot to me that she wants to spend time with you guys. You and Emmett are practically family; it will be a nice change to not feel like I have to choose between you and her."

"I like Alice, Jasper. She's really good for you," I told him honestly.

"She really likes you, too," Jasper said before laughing quietly. "She said that she feels like the two of you were meant to be brother and sister, but the stork dropped you off at the wrong house."

I smiled and flipped the TV remote over in my hand. "Doesn't she have like five brothers already?"

Jasper shook his head. "She has three."

"Have you met them? I mean, have you met any of her family?"

"They were in Portland when I went to visit. They are really nice people, and her three brothers are a little intimidating, but I think that I won them over," Jasper said.

I had to snort because really, when did Jasper not win people over?

The two of us sat there in comfortable silence for a little bit longer before I noticed that it was already past two in the morning. My body reacted to the time, making me yawn.

"We should probably try to get some sleep. We have to be at the airport at eight, and you know Emmett is constantly running late."

Jasper rolled off of his beanbag and kicked it back into the corner where it went. "That's why I told him we had to be at the airport at seven; givea us an extra hour."

I laughed and dropped the remote on the couch after standing up. "Nice plan."

He shrugged and the two of us stood there awkwardly. Japer rubbed the back of his neck while I tapped my leg with my fingers. Deciding to just go to bed, I turned to go down the hallway, but stopped when Jasper said my name.

"Yeah?" I asked quietly.

"Just so you know, I think that Bella would be a really lucky girl to have you. Just be yourself and she will see that, too."

I smiled and we gave each other awkward man hugs before going to our bedrooms. After crawling under the blankets on my bed, I closed my eyes and asked God for the only thing that I could.

"Lord," I whispered into the darkness, "please don't let me make a fool of myself."

** ** **

[ Jasper ]

I shoved the last of my stuff into the large suitcase and slammed the lid down, putting my full body weight on it in order to snap it shut. I breathed out a huge sigh when I was finished and wiped my forehead. Packing for Comic Con was a whole other level than packing for VanCon. This time we were taking an airplane, and I was going to be damned sure I didn't have two bags. I wasn't a cheapskate by any means, and the station was paying my expenses, but I didn't want to lug two bags around if I didn't have to.

I walked over to my dresser and opened the drawer with my boxers and socks in it. I pushed a few pairs aside and pulled out a small white box. I took the lid off and pulled out the small velvet bag inside. Untying the ends, I slid the small family heirloom out gently. My mind began to wander as I stared at it in the fading sunlight.

_"Mama, there's something I've got to tell you," I said as I sat across from her at the kitchen table. I'd actually taken a weekend to go visit my parents down in Texas, and my heart was heavy and my leg was shaking. "First of all, I'm going to need you to make some homemade granola bars for Emmett."_

_ She chuckled and watched me intently, her eyes narrowing, trying to figure me out._

_ "And secondly, I think I might have found The One."_

_ Her gasp did not surprise me, and she lunged across the table to pull me into her arms. "Oh, Jasper, honey, you don't know how long I've waited to hear you say something like this to me. Are you sure? Really sure?"_

_ I nodded against her chest. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life, Mama."_

_ She pulled back and looked at me, her eyes studying me. "It's Miss Alice, isn't it?"_

_ I nodded again and a huge smile broke out on her face. "You wait right here," she said as she jumped up and ran out of the room._

_ I looked around the old kitchen and smiled at the memories I had from my childhood growing up in this house. There was a sense of hope inside of me that one day I could bring my own children here and tell them all the stories._

_ Mama hurried back in and sat down next to me. She opened up a large jewelry box and pulled out a smaller white box. Once she opened the lid, she pulled out a tiny bag. After wrestling with it for a moment, she shook the bag and a ring fell into the palm of her hand. She picked it up and held it to the sunlight._

_ "This was your Great-great-great Grandmother Whitlock's wedding ring. It's been passed down through generations, and survived some pretty big events in American History. When your Great-grandfather Whitlock didn't have enough money during the Great Depression, your Great-grandma Whitlock offered to sell the ring. He told her no, and the next day she went to the store and traded it in for some groceries anyway. When your Great-grandfather found out, he was so upset and embarrassed. He went right down to the store and bought it back with money that he borrowed from his Father-in-law. This ring has stood for honor, trust, and love for countless generations of Whitlocks, and I know that if Alice accepts your hand, that you two will be very blessed." She placed the ring in my hand and I drew it up to my face._

_ It was gold, with two small diamonds in it. There was nothing terribly fancy or intricate about the ring. But it meant something to me and to my family. I pictured the ring on Alice's finger and smiled to myself. She would love it._

_ "Thank you, Mama. Really, this means a lot to me."_

_ She hugged me and placed the ring back in the bag before handing it to me. "Just remember to love, honor, and cherish that woman with all your heart. And give me lots of grandbabies."_

I laughed, shaking myself out of the memory. I held the ring between my thumb and forefinger and again pictured it on Alice's tiny finger. It would look so beautiful there, and she would be mine. As long as she'd say yes. That was the part I was most nervous about.

Ever since coming back from Greenland, things had been smoother between us. We'd spent less time arguing, and the sickening feeling in my stomach had gone away. I knew Alice loved me, and that was all that mattered. Although she'd tried to leave me, thinking it was for the best, she'd come back to me when I showed up at her door. She was the most brilliant woman I'd ever met, and I knew I could spend my whole life searching and never find another soul as beautiful as hers. She was _my_ forever; now all I needed to ask her was if she would let me be hers.

There were some doubts in my mind that she would accept. Alice was a very free spirit who didn't like to be tied down. Of course she was fine with being my girlfriend, but the press somehow hadn't really gotten a hold of us yet, and I was nervous that when it became public knowledge that she'd leave me, that the stress would be too much for her.

I shook off my fears, telling myself that I could worry about all of that later. I shoved the ring bag back into the small white box and tucked it away in my back pocket. I had no plan of action as to when or where I would ask Alice, but if the moment suddenly became perfect, I wanted to have it on me. I slid the large suitcase off the bed and it hit the floor with a thud. I'd definitely need a push cart when we got to the airport, and maybe even Emmett would need to carry this to the car.

The suitcase stood abandoned in my room as I walked out into the living room and hung out with Edward for a little while before we had to leave. He was such a great friend; after everything that had happened with Greenland and me telling him about Alice, he'd been even more supportive of me. I couldn't ask for a better brother than Edward. Of course, I was still nervous about telling Emmett about my relationship with Alice, and thought about talking to him during the flight to California. But if he caused a huge scene on the plane then we might get kicked off. I'd save it for later, maybe at the hotel.

I went to sleep that night with a smile on my face. I'd texted Alice right before I went to bed and was excited to see her the next day. I hugged my pillow as I drifted off in dreams of everyone getting along, and Emmett being happy instead of pummeling my face in when I told him the big news.

The next morning Emmett beat on my door, causing me to jump up with a start. I looked around the room and shook my head. "What?" I asked.

"Come on you lazy ass! We've got to go! The plane's not gonna wait for us and I've got to see my woman! Get the fuck up now!"

"Gimme five minutes, man," I croaked out, throwing my glasses on my face. I headed into the bathroom and brushed my teeth, combing my hair into some kind of submission. I threw a few more things into my suitcase, which I had to sit on _again_ to close. I patted my back pocket, double checking that the box was still there. I grabbed the leather handle and started to drag it towards my door. I opened it to find Emmett standing there. "Do not tell me you've been standing there the whole time."

He shook his head and held up a granola bar. "Naw, man, I had to go get me some breakfast of champions! Mama Whitlock's homemade granola bars for the win! Now let's go!"

I smiled sadly and waved to my suitcase. "Do you think you can grab that for me?"

Emmett shook his head and laughed as he took another bite of the snack. "Man, you know they charge for large bags like this?"

"No, I'm going to carry it on. I can't check the equipment because I'm scared it will get lost somewhere and end up in Hoboken, New Jersey."

"Well they won't let you carry this on. Hell, you can't even carry it yourself."

"Yes they will."

"No they won't."

"Yes they will," I gritted out.

"No they—"

"Alright, kids, let's go!" Edward said as he held up his small video recorder, exposing our little argument on tape. "Comic Con, here we come!"

"You better not be taping this entire trip, Edward. I love you like a brother and all, but I'm not going to think twice about throwing that out the window of the plane," Emmett barked.

Edward laughed. "Emmett, I _am_ your brother. You're still mad about the My Little Pony sleeping bag, aren't you? Oh man, I got you good!"

Emmett held his fist up to the camera and shook it. "Shut. It. Off."

Edward chuckled and we heard the click of the power. "Alright, alright, geez. But don't think I won't be using this later. We have to document this trip. It's going to be the best one ever!"

Emmett grabbed my suitcase and started carrying it towards the door, dumping it into my truck's large bed. Angela had offered to drive my truck and drop it back off at our apartment. She was talking giddily with Edward about the interview, and I felt bad that I couldn't get an extra pass for her. This would have been a trip of a lifetime for her. I told myself to see if I could get the girls to do something special, maybe give her a shout out on Edward's camera or something.

We all finished loading the truck and climbed in. I took the driver's seat, and my body started doing the inner happy dance it always did when it realized we were going to go see Alice. I smiled to myself as I turned on my CD player and "Leaving on a Jet Plane" came on.

"Oh, hell no. HELL NO. I am not listening to this bitch music the whole way to the airport. Put this on." Emmett passed up a CD that was titled "Little Debbie's Road Mix." I wasn't sure I wanted to know, but I put it in anyway.

"This is what I'm talkin' about," Emmett said as "California" by Phantom Planet came on and he started bellowing along.

Edward was smiling and in the rearview mirror I saw Angela stick her tongue out at me. It felt nice to have things back to normal, and I hoped that they would stay this way for a long time. I knew I'd made a lot of mistakes in the last few years, with dating Ann and letting my friends slide, to hiding this huge secret. But now that things were going back to normal, I felt happy again. I even started singing along with Emmett towards the end of the song.

After a few songs, we pulled up to the drop-off area and got out of the car. Angela hugged Edward goodbye and waved to us as we all set off for the check-in counter. Edward had his video camera back out again and was narrating something to his viewers. I assumed this was going to be on some video blog for FallenAngels. I waved to the camera as he panned over to me; I tucked my arm around Emmett's neck, pulling him in. I figured if Edward was going to be doing this all weekend, Emmett might as well start enjoying it now. Emmett pretended to try to wrestle me and we only stopped when one of the baggage attendants coughed towards us.

When it was our turn, I let Edward and Emmett go first. I knew they wouldn't take long and the excitement was just about killing Edward. I stepped up and pulled out my license, sliding it to the woman at the counter.

"Mr. Whitlock, it's nice to see you traveling again this weekend," she said, and I nodded back at her. "Will you be checking any bags today?"

I shook my head and she looked over the counter. "I'm almost certain that bag is too large to go in the overhead compartment. Can you put it on the scale, please?"

I obliged and set it down on the metal opening. It beeped a few times before it stopped at its final weight.

"Yes, I'm sorry, Mr. Whitlock, but you'll have to check that bag. That'll be $45.00."

"I don't think you understand; I can't check that bag. All my work equipment is in there and I can't lose any of it. This is very important."

"I assure you your bag will be fine, sir; our airline as the highest rate of success when it comes to bag delivery. Now just sign in the box, please."

I wanted to vomit. Here I was, signing pretty much my entire life away. I scrawled my name on the line as she tagged and took my luggage. I said a silent prayer, asking God to watch over my bag. I walked back over to Emmett and Edward.

"Dude, where's your bag?"

"They made me check it," I grumbled.

"I knew it. I told you so, I told you so, I told—" Emmett started chanting until Edward decked him in the stomach. He doubled over with a loud oof and I couldn't even muster up the strength to laugh. We walked over to the security line and waited our turns to walk through the metal detectors. Everyone was busy taking off their shoes, so when they weren't looking I pulled the ring out of my pocket and shoved it into my boot.

Of course Emmett had to walk through the machine twice because he forgot to take some change out of his pocket, and Edward started cracking jokes about him, to which Emmett flipped him off. Edward made it through without any issues, and I had to take off my belt which I had forgotten about in my hustle to hide the ring.

I was trying to pull it back out of my boot secretly when Emmett started getting nosey. "Man, hurry up! If we miss our flight because you're pussyfooting around…"

"Emmett, let's go ahead and grab something to eat. I am starving. I'll even buy you a protein shake or something," Edward said, winking at me as he directed Emmett towards the gates.

I sighed in relief and pulled the ring out, shoving it in my pocket again. This trip was going to make or break me. I walked off to find my friends, and smiled when I saw Edward with the video camera again, recording Emmett eating some Power bar or something. He waved me over and Edward turned to me with the camera.

"Say something to the fans, Jasper!"

I nodded my head towards the camera and smiled. "Comic Con, here we come!"

** ** **

**LMW:** Hey y'all! Thanks for the great reviews for last chapter—I'm glad you enjoyed it! I hope this chapter was just as exciting for you! I know JFI and myself are looking forward to writing Comic Con—we've had this planned since before we started writing!

**Today is my birthday**, and you know what would make me happy? Reviews and lots of them! Also, we're nominated up for Funniest Fic in the **Faithful Shipper Awards**! So go on over there and give our boys some love!

**JFI:** I don't know about you guys but Emmett's plans to take over the world make me a little nervous! Don't forget to vote for Stalking in the faithful shipper awards!


	26. Shh It Happens

**Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight. Sorry.**

[ Jasper ]

"We are now boarding rows 15-40," the flight attendant called. That was our cue. We all stood up and Edward flipped open his camera again.

"We're getting onto the plane now, and after a short layover in Sacramento, we will be in San Diego!"

"Dude, what did we say about the camera?" Emmett groaned. Once we got to the terminal he'd realized we duped him into getting there early, and had taken a nap in the waiting area. Apparently it wasn't long enough and he had woken up on the cranky side.

I put my hand on Edward's shoulder. "Don't listen to him. And if I were you, I'd keep that thing out of his reach," I winked as I handed my ticket and identification to the man at the check-in. We began to walk down the runway and I ducked walking into the plane—too many times I'd hit my head after the attendant had warned me and I wasn't taking any chances today.

"Seventeen A," I mumbled over and over to myself, looking for the row. I stopped in front of it and groaned when I realized it was a window seat.

"Shoulda booked with us, sucker," Emmett said as he pushed me into the row and stashed his bag above him. "I made sure we got the good seats," he teased as he sat down in the aisle seat behind me.

"Yea, maybe you. But I'm 6'1" and I got the bitch seat," Edward groaned.

I turned around in my seat and looked at the both of them. "Well, I'll switch with you, Edward."

"Nice try, but nope. I'm not sitting next to you for the next few hours unless you've got some more of Mama Whitlock's granola bars hidden in your pockets. And even then I'm not so sure I want to go there," Emmett said as he pulled out his iPod.

Edward gave me a sad shrug of his shoulders in apology and I shrugged back. I turned in my seat and pulled out the in-flight sales magazine when I heard a large commotion.

"Christina, our seats are right here! Row seventeen!" I heard a man's voice call. As I looked up, I heard Emmett snickering behind me. A woman came over with her baby wrapped in some cocoon thing, and she smiled when she spotted me.

"Hello, I'm Christina. Looks like we're neighbors today," she said sweetly.

_Shit, not only did she have a baby with her, but she was a talker. _

I smiled politely and nodded before turning back to my magazine. As I was getting interested in a home theater system that I could plug my iPhone into, my phone buzzed. I opened it up to find a text message from Emmett. When I opened it, it was a picture of him laughing and flipping me the middle finger, with the message, "Haha, Jasper. Ha-fucking-ha."

I turned around and narrowed my eyes at him, but that only made him bust out laughing. I wadded up my magazine and hit him over the head with it before turning around. Christina, the mother, looked at me confused and I smiled. "Sorry, he's special."

She nodded before cooing at her baby. I looked on for a second, wondering one day what my own child would look like.

The flight attendants came on the speaker and began to instruct us to fasten our seatbelts and told us about emergency exits and how to put the masks on our faces. The only reason I paid attention was because Emmett was behind me snickering and imitating the man, and as much as he annoyed me sometimes, he was also amusing as fuck.

Soon we were up in the air and on our way. I let my head hit the back of the seat and my eyes closed. I was hoping I could snag an hour's worth of sleep, but right after I felt my body relax, the baby cried. I suppressed a groan and looked over to see Christina giving it a bottle.

"There, there, Katie, its okay," she whispered to the tiny infant as she tried to burp her. I looked past her to find her husband passed out, snoring. I knew one day that Emmett would be that man. A small burp came from the baby and I heard Christina sigh in relief.

"She's so small," I observed.

"Yes, she's always been a bit tiny, but she's a fighter."

I smiled, thinking about my own tiny girl, Alice. I must have gotten a dreamy look in my eyes because the next thing I knew, Christina was offering for me to hold Katie, and I found myself nodding. Suddenly there was a tiny little girl in my arms and she was looking up at me with big, innocent eyes. I melted into a pile of goo and started making silly noises at her. And then it happened.

Faster than I had time to react, baby Katie spit up all over me. It was on my t-shirt and arms. I tried not to scream and throw her off me, and luckily Christina grabbed her and began apologizing.

"Its fine," I said as she hands me a wipe and I started to try to clean myself up.

Behind me I heard Emmett having a field day, and if I turned around, I knew he'd be holding his side and doubled over. Christina's husband woke up and looked over at me, wiggling his nose. "Sorry about that one," he said plainly.

I unbuckled my seat belt and stood up, crawling over them to get to the bathroom. After rinsing myself off with cold water, I still looked like I'd been puked on. Of course something like this would happen to me. But once we got to the hotel I'd change my shirt and throw this one away. It was no longer one of my favorites.

I sat back down in my chair and looked out the window. We began to descend and everyone prepared to land and make their connecting flights. The flight attendant came on the speakers again and asked that everyone who was going on to San Diego stay on the plane. Apparently we didn't have to switch planes, and would be leaving in about half an hour. Christina and her family got off the plane after apologizing again and her husband gave me some money to replace the shirt. I told him it was no big deal, but he wouldn't have it. I took the money and shoved it into my wallet and nodded.

As soon as they were out of range, Emmett shot around the aisle to sit near me and wrinkled his nose up. "Man, you smell like ass!"

"Well, in case you missed it, and I am _SURE_ you didn't, a baby spit up on me."

He started laughing again, wiping a tear from his eye. "Oh, I wish I could have seen your face, man!"

Edward had been pretty silent during the whole ordeal, so I turned around and took a look at him. He was asleep, and had one of the _Carlisle's Angels_ series books in his lap. His mouth was hanging open and his head was twisted to the side. He was going to have one hell of a kink in his neck, but I couldn't help but smile. As much as this was the perfect time to prank him, he had been working so hard putting up with mine and Emmett's bullshit, as well as working overtime to save up some money, that I couldn't bring myself to mess with him.

Emmett and I talked a little while longer until Edward woke up and looked at his watch. "Why aren't we in the air yet?!"

Emmett shrugged. "Because we're not? Why, what time are we supposed to be leaving?"

"Almost half an hour ago!" Edward squealed, whipping out his paper full of flight information. I could see the panic building in his face as he tried to calculate our delay. "Oh no, oh no," he kept chanting over and over.

"Bro, calm down. I'm sure we're leaving soon," Emmett tried to assure him.

This went on for what had to be at least twenty more minutes; Edward freaking out and Emmett trying to tell him it would all work out. About the time that Edward was going to get up and ask for information, the flight attendant came on the speaker and announced we were getting ready to board new passengers and that we'd be departing shortly.

"I'm going to be sick; I'm going to miss my interview call time. I'm going to miss my interview; I'm going to miss my time with Bella," he started spitting out, close to hyperventilating.

I turned around to look at him and his eyes were crazy. He looked hopeless as he pleaded at me with his eyes to do something—anything—that I could to help him. I gave him a slight nod and pulled out my cell phone after Emmett had taken his seat. I sent Alice a message:

_Mayday—our plane's been delayed and Edward's going to miss his call time for your interview._

Within minutes I had a reply:

_No worries. We'll just work him in when he gets here. See you soon! Xo_

I turned around to see Edward wringing his hands. I called his name and he looked up at me. "Everything's going to be alright," I said with a purpose. He relaxed some when he picked up that I had gotten some confirmation from Alice and I saw his shoulders sag. He rested back in the seat as the rest of the passengers took their seats.

Luckily, the seat next to me was open, so I slid the armrest up and enjoyed the extra room. I put my headphones on and plugged into the arm, listening to whatever radio station sounded good. The plane eventually took off and a little while later, we had hit ground in San Diego. We all got off the plane, exhausted, hungry, and ready for a stiff drink. We headed over to the baggage claim and waited for my bag to come around the carousel.

Edward was dancing from foot to foot, tackling a bag he thought was mine. I knew in his head he was calculating our time still, and I felt bad. I shook my head at him and he huffed, tossing it back on the belt as we continued watching the bags circle. After waiting about 10 minutes after all the bags had been taken, I started to get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I leaned down with my hands on my knees. I started trying to calm my breathing when Emmett clapped me on the back.

"Come on, man, let's just go to the counter and see what's up," he said quietly.

I stood up and nodded at him, and we walked over. After a few minutes, the man at the desk came back over and started typing away on his computer. "Mr. Whitlock, it seems that your bag was put on the wrong plane, and right now is somewhere in Oklahoma City. I do apologize for the inconvenience, and we will give you some money to cover your loss until your luggage can be relocated…"

I slumped against the desk and began beating my fist. "No, no, no, this can't be happening!"

"Mr. Whitlock, you'll be able to buy some clothes with the money—"

I whipped my head up. "My equipment is in there, _FOR MY JOB!_ I have to do an interview this afternoon and I have NO equipment. This isn't about clothing—I could give two shits about that!"

He handed me a plastic card, which I assumed was pre-loaded with money on it. "We'll call you as soon as your bag is shipped back here. Again, we're very sorry."

I told myself I was not going to cry. Here I was, tired, without my luggage, and smelling like baby puke. And I was supposed to go straight to the convention center for my interview with the girls. This was definitely a Fuck My Life moment. I slipped the card in my pocket and looked at my watch. _Shit._ We were running late.

Emmett shook his head. "Man, I told you not to check that bag." I glared at him and he held up his hands. "Just sayin."

We didn't speak as we walked towards the cabs and Edward flagged one down. They loaded their bags in the trunk and it was a silent ride over to the hotel. Emmett checked us in while Edward and I sat on the bench. My mind started reeling with panic.

"It'll be alright, Jasper," Edward said softly, "I mean, of course this stuff happens to us. But it'll be alright. You've got Alice," he whispered.

I nodded and then remembered that I had the ring in my back pocket and exhaled a huge sigh of relief. If I'd lost that—even if I wasn't proposing to her today—my life would have been over. Emmett walked over to us and flashed some key cards.

"Let's go, kids. I've got a FanFic panel to run and the world to take over," he grinned.

We followed him into the elevator and into our room. I looked around and started to panic again. "What am I going to wear? I can't wear this, I smell like baby puke!"

Edward looked between Emmett and me and shook his head. "Sorry, Jasper, but my stuff is going to be too small for you," he said sadly.

I nodded. Emmett pointed to his suitcase. "It'll all be too big but you're welcome to anything except my Little Debbie t-shirt and my suit."

I all but pounced on the suitcase, throwing it open and beginning to rifle through. Emmett was right; most of this stuff would be huge on me. And I couldn't show up looking like I was wearing a dress! I almost gave up hope until I got to the bottom and pulled out a black t-shirt that looked smaller than the rest. I held it up and smiled.

"Oh, sure, now you wanna wear that shirt. I see how it is, Jasper," Emmett rolled his eyes.

"What?" I asked confused.

Emmett took the shirt and turned it right-side out, and I let out a groan. _The damn tuxedo shirt._

"You know what, though? You could pull it off; it really does scream—"

"I'm here to party," I finished for him, glaring at the t-shirt in my hands. But at this point I didn't have any other choice. I slipped off the other shirt and threw it in the trash can while tugging the other shirt on. It was snug, very snug, and I was surprised that it had once fit Emmett. He must have seen the look on my face because he answered quickly.

"Oh, well, when I started losing some weight, I shrunk the shirt so I could wear it a little while longer."

Fuck My Life. This shirt was so embarrassing. "Thanks," I muttered as I tried not to look at myself in the mirror. I knew once the day's events were over I was heading to the nearest store and buying _anything_ so I wouldn't have to wear this shirt until my bags got there.

"We have to go," Edward said, and I nodded knowing he was probably very antsy by this point. We went downstairs and walked the block over to the convention center. There were people everywhere—we'd be lucky if we didn't lose each other in the crowd.

"Peace out, fuckers—I've got to get to my panel!" Emmett shouted as he threw us the deuce.

"Good luck!" Edward shouted as we walked over to the Media registration table to get our passes.

I turned to him. "Now, Edward, don't freak out. Things are going to go great. And if they don't, well…how could they not? Alice is on your side and she's not gonna let anything bad happen to you," I said.

He nodded, swallowing thickly. "I can do this, I can do this…I can do this," he became more confidant each time, although I knew that he must be flying around inside his stomach.

As we walked into the holding room for media, I saw a curtain was drawn and I saw a peek of Alice's hair. My heart stopped beating and my vision started to blur. I began to get nauseous, and I patted my back pocket again, giving myself the reassurance that one day, someday, Alice would really be mine.

"You can borrow my video camera for your interview," Edward offered kindly.

I gave him a brotherly side hug and tried not to cry. "Thanks."

He nodded and winked at me as he turned it on and I pursed my lips at the camera. He took a few steps back and began filming. "I mean, come on, someone's got to mark this occasion: you're wearing the tuxedo shirt!"

I flipped him off as he laughed and shut the camera off. It's a good damn thing that Alice liked Edward so much, or else I'd have to kill him.

** **

[ Edward ]

"Name?"

I stared at the small space between the curtain and the door leading into the interview room. I could see part of Alice's hair and my throat seemed to close. I tried to remember how to swallow but it was like my body couldn't remember how. _No! No! No!_ I yelled at my body. _I was not going to freak out like last time!_

"Name, please?" a voice asked again, louder this time.

Jasper cleared his throat and nudged my shoulder.

"Edweird. I mean…" I took a deep breath and tried again. "Edward Cullen from Fallen Angels."

Jasper gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze before telling them his own name. The woman sitting behind the table marked something off her list. After showing our ID's and signing for our passes, we were ushered through the dividing curtain. I quickly pulled the press pass around my neck and tried to straighten my shirt.

"Relax," Jasper whispered. He pushed the door open and I followed in behind him. The door hadn't even shut all the way when a small body flew at me. I stumbled backwards from the force of her hug, nearly toppling over.

"Edward, you're here! Oh my gosh I am so glad your flight wasn't too late! It has been such a horrid morning so far…"

I laughed nervously, hugging Alice back while giving Jasper a glance over the top of her head. He only shrugged, obviously not bothered by the fact that his girlfriend had completely bypassed him for me. She kept talking and my eyes searched the room behind her. It was empty, except for four chairs and Esme standing in the corner talking on the phone.

"Where's the girls?" Jasper asked.

Alice let me go and practically bounced over to Jasper. It was surreal to see him pick her up into his arms like it was the most natural thing in the world. They leaned their foreheads against each others, just staring, before kissing. It wasn't like they were shoving their tongues down each other's throats, but I just couldn't stop looking at the two of them. I wasn't trying to be a creeper but my best friend was kissing _Alice Brandon_ for God's sake… this was so fucking strange.

"They just ran to the restroom. Esme told them to let you guys in when you got here. I didn't know if Edward would need you here during the interview… you know, in case he was too nervous. I didn't want him to be nervous," she explained, talking a mile a minute. She took a quick breath and then turned back to look at me. "Are you nervous?"

I shrugged and then smiled when she narrowed her eyes. "It's better now that we're here. I should be fine."

It was surprising how easy to was to be myself around Alice. We had e-mailed and spoke on Twitter a few times, but in the back of my mind I had thought that it might still be a little weird with her. She was one of the biggest celebrities in the world right now but I felt completely at ease. Maybe this interview would actually go well.

"Well," Alice sighed and wrapped an arm around Jasper's waist, "if Jasper trusts you, then so do I. If I trust you then so will Bella. You really don't have anything to worry about. Except for Rosalie."

I smiled and watched as Jasper leaned down and kissed the top of her head before pulling her to his side. Their affectionate whispers were interrupted by the door opening at the far end of the room. My heart started beating a wild rhythm when I saw Rosalie and Bella walking towards us.

Bella was as beautiful as ever. Her dark hair was piled on top of her head with a few pieces falling out around her face. Wearing nothing more than a vintage band t-shirt and jeans, she still looked… _perfect._

"Well look what the cat dragged in!" Rosalie said sarcastically. "What the fuck are you wearing, J? I mean… seriously?"

"It's a long story," Jasper muttered. I couldn't help but laugh when he tugged on the bottom of his shirt.

"Isn't that…"Alice's voice trailed off. She looked over at me and I nodded slightly, silently telling her that it was in fact Emmett's shirt. She just smiled and pulled at the back of Jasper's shirt.

"They always told me that Texans were weird," Rosalie shrugged, and smiled innocently at Jasper.

"Right," Jasper nodded, "because people from North Dakota are so much cooler? Don't be jealous, Rosalie. We can't all be Texans."

She punched his arm and Jasper laughed. Rosalie said something about him paying her tab before she turned to me. I smiled, hoping I came off confidant and not creepy, and tried to keep my eyes focused on Rosalie, even though they were slightly twitching to look at Bella.

"Edward?" Rosalie asked, moving in front of me.

I nodded and shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you, again."

"Oh, we did meet, didn't we? It was probably interrupted by your brother asking me to sign-"

"Rosalie," Bella reprimanded from behind her.

Her voice made my stomach lurch from nerves but I forced myself to swallow and smile when she moved to stand next to her friend. I wanted to reach out and hug her, tell her that I had missed her, but I knew that would make me sound like a lunatic. _Calm and collected, Edward. Calm. And. Collected._

"Bella," I said, holding my hand towards her. "It's nice to see you again."

She smiled--really smiled--and shook my hand. The same familiar electric sparks flew up my arm and straight to my heart. It had nearly been a year since the last time I had seen Bella, but nothing had really changed. She still stole my breath, still made me want to love her, and still made me wonder what that something was in her eyes.

"It's nice to see you, too, Edward. And congratulations on the website, it really is appreciated… you know… by… people like… _us_."

Her awkwardness only made her more adorable, especially when red patches appeared on her cheeks and neck. I nodded in appreciation and continued to hold her hand, realizing that she hadn't pulled it away from me yet.

"Shouldn't we get this started?" Rosalie asked. Her voice made both of us turn to look at her.

Esme was nodding her head, motioning that it was fine, and we all started shuffling around to get to our assigned places. When Bella's hand finally left mine, I could have sworn I saw her fingers flex and move back towards mine. I slightly shook my head, telling myself not to read into things.

"I'll be in the holding cell," Jasper joked, motioning to the area outside.

Alice leaned up on her toes but Jasper still had to lean down to be able to reach her lips. They kissed and he started to leave, but stopped before he walked past me.

"You've got this," he whispered. I nodded and he gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Once the door was shut, I nervously looked back at the girls and shuffled my way to the chair across from theirs. I fumbled with the camera but eventually got it situated on the table next to me. I slipped into the chair and started running my hands over the tops of my thighs.

"Should I wait?" I asked, motioning to Esme.

"She's listening to messages from the studio. It could take hours," Rosalie answered.

Alice gave me a reassuring smile and bounced in her seat. "Give us your best, Edward."

I laughed before my eyes flickered back to Bella. She looked relaxed; as relaxed as she could be during an interview, and nodded for me to continue.

"Well first of all, let me just thank you for choosing the site to come and interview you. It really is an honor," I told them. They all nodded and I continued. "We had a poll on our site, letting fans submit questions to ask you, so some of these are actually their questions."

"Oh, yay!" Alice said, sounding genuinely excited.

I laughed while mentally running through the questions I had memorized. "The first question is from a Twitter follower MandaGagne. Where do you think you got your talent from? Are there other people in your family who are artistic like yourselves?"

"Do you want an answer from all three of us?" Rosalie asked. I nodded and she smiled. "I'll go first then."

"Of course you will," Bella muttered playfully.

Rosalie straightened in her chair. "I was always the ham of the family. I mean, I have a lot of sisters, and when I was a kid that was the only way I could stand out and be different. So I would act out scenes from my favorite movies and sort of make my family notice me."

"She likes being the center of attention."

Rosalie playfully shoved Alice's shoulder before continuing. "I actually didn't plan on acting, though. I was going to school to be a chemical engineer and did a little modeling to make some money; it wasn't anything dirty, but it kind of launched me into this. All of my sisters and my one brother are all pretty normal though. My little brother makes excellent stick figures."

We all laughed and looked at Alice for her answer.

"Well," she said softly. Her small legs kicked out in front of her. "My mom always encouraged us to be artistic, to express ourselves, and she is actually a really good artist. She paints."

"Really well, actually," Bella added. My eyes moved to her before focusing back on Alice.

"My two older brothers were involved in the local theater group and I just kind of joined in to have something to do," she shrugged. "I think the first time I fell in love with acting was when I got to play Snoopy."

I smiled. "What about music?"

"I started playing the guitar to try and be one of the 'cool kids,'" she answered honestly.

"Still trying…" Rosalie joked.

Alice ignored her and looked at Bella. "What about you, B?"

"My mum and dad made me join an acting company to make me get out of the house. I was perfectly fine to sit at home and play the piano, but they thought I needed to make more friends."

I nodded, already knowing the answer to her question. I had hoped that she might give me more than the cookie cutter answer that she always gave in interviews, but I still had three more questions.

"The second question is from one of our FanFic authors on the site, Running Mute. She asked, "What is your favorite memory since the series started. Alice, do you want to start?"

"Oh that's easy," she sat up. "My favorite memory was on the first movie set! We were still really unknown then. People didn't know much about the movie and it was easy to go out and not be inundated by fans or photographers. Bells and I would go and do open mic nights and jam with local musicians. It was so great to sit in these old jazz bars and get to play with some really great talent. It was so easy to be happy then…"her voice trailed off and she looked at the two girls sitting on either side of her. They both nodded in some unspoken understanding and then looked back at me. I swallowed, hoping I hadn't asked something that would ruin the moment, and nodded to Bella.

"I got to meet the Queen," Bella said. We all laughed and she shrugged. "It was bizarre and I felt completely out of place, but it is still one of my favorite memories. I had to wear this formal dress and high heels, which is never a good thing, and the entire time I was so worried that I would fall. When I was introduced I couldn't even say anything."

"Your favorite memory involves you being embarrassed?" Alice asked, laughing.

Bella shrugged and looked back at her friend. "When am I not embarrassed or falling down?"

"True," Alice shrugged.

"Well, my favorite memory was actually on the last movie set." Rosalie leaned forward in her chair to look at the other girls. "Do you remember when we all played the _CA _board game? I dominated that shi-"

I laughed when she looked at the camera and then at me. "I can edit it. Don't worry."

She smiled before continuing. "I basically mopped the floor with these two. I think Bella still owes me like twenty dollars for beating her, too."

"If I remember correctly, I was drunk," Bella defended herself.

I smiled and watched as the three of them started laughing and joking. I hadn't ever seen Bella like this. She was uninhibited and seemed to be completely at ease. Or at least that's what I thought, until she remembered that we were in the middle of an interview. Her mouth shut and she shyly looked back at me while Rosalie and Alice kept talking.

I tried to make myself look like I was the type of person that she could trust, but I honestly didn't know how. I didn't know how to be anything other than what I was… and what I was probably wouldn't ever be enough for Bella Swan. My heart sank at that realization but I worked to keep myself from frowning.

"You had the script in your lap under the table, Rosalie!" Alice's loud voice and laughter made both of us look back at the other two of them.

"You were not clear on the rules!" Rosalie defended herself. "Besides, you can't prove-"

"Girls!" Esme's voice yelled from the corner she had been sitting in. "The interview, remember?"

Alice and Rosalie looked back at me and I just shrugged. Who the hell was I to interrupt their banter? I found it interesting to see how their friendship played out. Plus, I had been too wrapped up in Bella looking at me to even notice that we had gotten off topic.

"Sorry," Rosalie muttered and Alice nodded. "Please continue."

Bella gave me a quick smile before looking down at her hands in her lap.

The next question went without many interruptions. I asked them if they could pick any book to be made into a movie, what it would be and who from the book they would play. Bella had said that she would want to be some cartoon character for a book that had already been made into a cartoon. Rosalie picked a book I'd never even heard of, and Alice had blurted out _Alice in Wonderland_ as soon as it was her turn. I asked if she would play Alice, but was surprised when she shook her head and told me that she would want to be the White Rabbit or the Mad Hatter. I could see her being both well.

"Last question," I said, sitting up in my chair. I was excited because this was actually my favorite of all of them. "My question is, if you could pick one song to represent your life, what would it be?"

I watched all three of them thinking of how to answer. Rosalie was rolling a plastic water bottle between her hands. Alice's feet swung back and forth while she bit her bottom lip. But it was Bella that surprised me. When I look at her I was both excited and shocked to see her eyes trained on me. She looked like she was trying to decide something, but I had a gut feeling that it had nothing to do with the question I had asked them.

"Hands by Jewel," Alice's voice broke the silence. "My favorite lyric is 'If I could tell the world just one thing it would be that we're all okay. And not to worry cause worry is wasteful and useless in times like these.' We focus so much on the negativity in this world, and I really try to bring out the happiness in it. I make music and these movies hoping that it will make at least one person happy. If it does, then I've done my part."

"That's really sweet, AB," Rosalie reached over and squeezed her friends hand while Bella nodded.

Alice shrugged. "What's yours Rosalie?"

"Bad Reputation by Joan Jett."

I laughed and quickly tried to cover it up by coughing while Bella and Alice didn't bother to hide their amusement.

"What?" she asked us. I shook my head because I knew I couldn't tell her what I was really thinking. If I mentioned the fact that once Emmett found out about this, he would fall even more in love with her because that was by far one of his favorite songs, Rosalie would probably kick my ass.

When none of us said anything, she flung her hair back over her shoulder and shrugged. "The song speaks to me. You don't need to know why."

Bella was actually doubled over in laughter while Alice snorted loudly.

"Would you care to elaborate on that Miss Hale?" I asked. Rosalie's eyes narrowed at my sarcasm and I immediately considered back peddling, trying to explain that I was joking. But when Alice reached across the way to give me a high five, I noticed that Rosalie was smirking.

"There is hope for you yet, Edward." She motioned to Bella while still looking at me. "It's her turn."

"Bella?" I asked.

She looked at me and I could tell she was trying not to laugh. It took a few seconds of snorted laughter and a couple of mock glares from Rosalie before we had calmed down enough to continue.

Bella sighed and shook her head. "There is a lyric that goes 'Maybe life is a song but we're scared to sing along until the very end.' and for some reason it has always gotten to me."

I smiled because I knew the song she was talking about. It was one of my favorites, actually, and had been since before I'd even heard of the _CA_ series. "Patrick Park is a really great artist."

"You know of him?" Bella asked. I nodded and her smile got wider. "Life Is a Song--even the title speaks volumes. I hate to think of myself, fifty years from now, looking back on my life and wondering how it might have been if I wouldn't have been scared to take a chance. That's why I chose to audition for the _CA_ role, why I chose to put two songs on the last soundtrack… because I don't want to look back on my life and realize that I was too scared to live it."

I stared at the woman sitting in front of me and tried to remember if I had ever been in awe of someone like this. There weren't many people in my life that had ever made an impression on me, at least not ones that were positive. My mother was really the only one besides Emmett and Jasper. But watching as Bella talked with Alice and Rosalie about her response to my question, I realized that even though I had loved Bella for years, I hadn't been in love with her until that very moment.

"Great job, Edward." I blinked and Alice was standing in front of me smiling from ear to ear and bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Thank you," I said quietly, still watching Bella.

Alice looked over her shoulder to see Bella blushing and looking at her lap. "I'm going to take Rosalie to get more water. I'll see you later though, right?"

I nodded as she pulled Rosalie from the interview room. I knew we weren't entirely alone, but this was definitely more secluded than I had ever been with Bella. She hesitantly lifted her gaze to mine and I smiled, wishing that I could think of something to say, something that would show her how I felt without making me sound like a creep.

"Are you doing anything tomorrow night?"

_Was Bella was talking to me?_ She smiled and I looked over my shoulder to see if she was talking to Esme. I heard her laugh and turned back to look at her.

"Are you talking to me?" I pointed to myself.

She leaned her head to the side and smiled. "My friend Erik, Erik Yorkie, is doing a show tomorrow night. I'm going and I'm actually pretty sure that Jasper and Alice are going, too, but it might be something fun for your website. You could talk to Erik after…"

_BELLA SWAN IS ASKING ME ON A DATE!_

I mentally bitch slapped myself and forced my lungs to breathe normally. This might not be a date, no, definitely not a date. She had mentioned that Alice and Jasper were going. _Could be a double date! _I shook my head to make myself stop.

"Oh, you don't have to. I just… didn't know you had plans…" Bella's voice made me stop chastising myself.

"NO!" I yelled, and then regretted it. Bella was wringing her fingers together nervously. I lowered my voice and tried again. "I mean, I don't have plans and I would love to go."

She smiled and I watched as her cheeks became stained with an endearing blush.

"I'll make sure your names are on the list," Bella nodded, still smiling.

Date or no date… tomorrow was going to be a day I wouldn't ever forget.

** **

**JFI:** Edweird!!!! Didn't he do a great job?! No boob grabbing at all! Thanks a million and a half for all of the reviews and recommendations guys! This is just the beginning of the Comic Con epicness. Stalkmett is up next!

**LMW:** Hooray! Edward's going on a pseudo-date with Bella! *dances* Thanks for your continued support and for voting for us in the Faithful Shipper Awards! We found out today we've been nominated for Best Collaboration in the Silent Tear Awards! Please vote for us if you think we're the best when the polls open!

Stay tuned until next time, when we will see if Stalkmett's plan to take over the world is successful!

Please review—it makes us happy authors!


	27. A Stalker's Guide: Behind the Scenes

**Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight, but some of the funny ideas you'll find in here did come from us!**

[ Rosalie ]

I sat up as my alarm went off and stretched my arms high over my head. I'd passed out the night before which was good because today was going to be a busy one. I quickly brushed my teeth and washed my face before Peak's hair and make-up crew came by. Anytime we were doing huge press, they sent over the "professionals" so I wouldn't need to stress, although after they left I often made a few changes of my own.

I pulled out my travel yoga mat and tried to center myself some before the hectic weekend. A small knock on the door pulled me out of my meditation and I stood up and walked over. I smiled when I saw Bella and not hair and wardrobe. "Hey, kid," I joked as I let her inside.

She nodded and sat down on the small couch in my room. "So, how bad do you think I'm going to fuck up today?" she asked nervously.

I shook my head. "You won't. If you get nervous or start feeling uncomfortable, look over at me and I'll steal the question. Really, Bella, people love you, and you could sit there and tell them that a Buddha statue used to talk to you in your mind and they'd eat it up."

She shook her head and began fidgeting with her fingers. "I'm just…nervous."

Watching her closely, I sat down on the bed. "About?"

She raised an eyebrow at me as if I was supposed to know the answer. "I don't want them asking me questions about Jacob. It's really hard to answer that when everyone's digging for information. I start to panic and then I sound stupid."

I frowned. "Well, on the good side, I know one person who won't dare ask you about Jacob Black."

"Who?" she asked, sitting up straighter.

I smirked before picking up my brush and running it through my hair. "Edward Cullen," I said plainly, watching her reaction in the mirror. One thing I loved about Bella was that she was predictable, and so easy to read. Of course, interviewers couldn't do it like I could because I practically lived with her at points in time. And just like a clock, she was right on time.

Cue pink cheeks and a glance to the floor.

"I'm excited to really get to know Edward. I mean, Jasper's pretty cool, and since Edward's his best friend, he must be pretty cool, too."

"And his brother?" she asked quietly.

I shook my head. "Don't start those mind games with me, Bella Swan. His brother is downright vile, and I hope he doesn't try to make an encore of his VanCon performance."

"I'm sure it was an accident," Bella said, twirling some of her hair in her fingers.

I walked over to her and pushed her forward, brushing her ratty and unruly hair. If this girl would let me use some product on her I could do wonders. "Oh, Bella, you're still naïve. It wasn't an accident. But if he shows up this weekend, I promise I'll try to give him a small break, okay?"

She nodded as I continued to work on her. There was a knock on the door and I got up to answer it. It was the hair and make-up people and I let them in. I pointed at Bella. "Her first, she needs it the most." She flipped me the bird and I stuck my tongue out.

"I don't want any hair and make-up. I just want to be myself."

The make-up woman looked to me and I shrugged. "She's the star, you better listen to her."

I sat down in a folding chair and they began to get to work. Bella slipped out after a while and I chatted about celebrity gossip. When I was done, I changed into a pair of frayed blue jeans and a light purple Henley top. Esme hustled in and looked me over before nodding and smiling. She held out her hand and I took it as she pulled me towards the door.

"Come on, dear, we're running late. And _Entertainment Weekly_ wanted to get some photos of you three before the interviews started. Chop chop!"

I slipped my cell phone in my back pocket and put on my comfortable flats. Walking down the hall and towards the interview rooms, I heard a small voice call my name and turned to see a girl about 12 standing there with her mom. Her t-shirt had my face on it and she was decked out in candy jewelry. As I got closer I thought I saw her start shaking. I squatted down and smiled at her.

"Hey there, how are you?"

She let out a little squeak and her mom encouraged her to step closer. "Hi," she said shyly.

"My name is Rosalie. What's yours?"

"I'm Alicia, but my friends call me Ali!"

"Well, what do you know? My best friend's name is Alice, but sometimes I call her Ali, too."

Her mother smiled at me and I winked back at her. "Hey, Alicia?"

She looked at me with wide eyes.

"Do you think your mom would be nice enough to take a picture of us together? I'd love to have one to show my friend Alice."

She looked up at her mom and started jumping up and down in place. "Please, Mom? I'll be good _forever_!" she promised, and her mom nodded and pulled out her camera.

I grabbed Alicia in a small bear hug as her mom took the photo. Then I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and held it out to her. "Can you take one with my phone, please?"

Alicia's mother grinned and took it, and again I snuggled the little girl into me, and even did a second pose in which she was sticking out her chest, showing off her shirt, and I was giving her a thumbs up.

As her mother handed the phone back to me, it started vibrating. I was late. "I'm really sorry, Alicia, but I have to go. Will you be around this weekend?"

She nodded furiously. "Mom said we could go to your Question and Answers!"

I grinned and hugged her again. "Great, I hope you'll get to be right in front. I'll see you later," I said with a small wave. As I walked down the hall I heard her squealing excitedly and chatting with her mom. I smiled to myself. Sometimes this job was really trying and there were days I wanted to just up and quit. But seeing the gleam in Alicia's eyes reminded me of why I did all this in the first place: to be a good role model for younger girls and hopefully make a difference.

** **

[ Bella ]

I kept reminding myself that it was okay; Alice was dating Jasper, and I knew him pretty well by now. Edward was his best friend, which meant he had to be okay. But I kept getting this feeling in my stomach—it sort of felt like indigestion, but I hadn't eaten anything. Alice had given me some gum and I'd been chewing on it all afternoon, sipping from a water bottle, too.

Alice kept chattering all day about seeing Jasper and Edward, and I couldn't help but feel a bit empty. I'd never really wanted to share my life with someone; I was more of an independent soul, but now seeing Alice so happy and contented, well, I wanted that, too. I just hoped that there was someone out there that could stop my world like Jasper had done to her.

I could barely even make eye contact when Edward and Jasper walked in. I smiled, of course, but that feeling of sickness washed over me again and I felt like I couldn't breathe. Luckily I had a chair to sit in, which kept me feeling grounded. After a few long breaths I felt much better and somehow managed to make it through the interview, relaxing as it went on. I'd even managed to forget where I was at one point. Rosalie was right, Edward never once asked me about Jacob, and to that I was very relieved.

My eyes kept sneaking peeks at him throughout the interview, watching the small movements he made. I noticed the way his fingers pulled at the hem of his shirt. I counted the number of times he blinked, wondering how soft his eyelashes were. His hair would catch a bit of light and shine, and my fingers itched to reach out and touch it. I had to keep my hands in my lap tightly so I wouldn't run over and start examining him. He was fascinating.

When the interview was over, I started feeling sad. It wasn't often that I let myself really feel comfortable around people I didn't know—in this industry it was easy to get screwed over and I was looking out for myself. But Alice and Rosalie may have been right—Edward seemed like he could be someone I could trust. I wasn't entirely sure, but for the first time in a long time, I had this desire to really get to know someone.

Alice mentioned that she and Rosalie were going to go get some water, leaving Edward and me alone, except for Esme who was across the room making phone calls. I looked up and smiled at him, feeling warmth spread across my neck. I started feeling like my toes were going numb, and I was seconds away from passing out.

"Are you doing anything tomorrow night?" I blurted out. I thought about looking over my shoulder to see who had said that, but I knew it was me. _What the fuck was I doing?_

I couldn't help but laugh when I saw him do the same thing. And then suddenly I was inviting him to see Erik play, and my legs were feeling tingly because all I wanted to do was get up and run away to my room and hide behind my guitar. He just sat there and looked at me, and I felt like the biggest loser in the world—of _course_ he wouldn't want to go to the show or hang out, or even be around me.

I tried to play it off like there was no big deal, and the next thing I knew he was accepting my invitation and I was blushing again and smiling like an idiot. My insides were doing what Alice calls the 'Happy Dance' and I was thinking about how I was going to keep my cool tomorrow at that show.

Jasper walked in with Alice and Rosalie and they were all laughing. He had his arm around Alice's shoulders, and he was elbowing Rosalie in the side. She was pretending to punch him and Alice had her head thrown back in laughter. I looked over at Edward and gave him another reassuring smile; at least, I hoped it was reassuring for him.

"Wow, Jasper, you never told me that story!" Alice teased, wiping at her eye with her hands. Whatever it was, it'd made her laugh so hard she cried.

"Well, there's still a lot you gals don't know about me," he said as he winked at Edward. I saw him tuck his chin into his neck and I wanted to reach out and grab his hand.

This shit was seriously starting to scare me. I never wanted to reach out to other people. I liked living a solitary life, bringing my characters out to do things and behave in ways I never would. But for me to start taking on bold behaviors? Not me at all. Rosalie and Alice had been fucking with my head and I was going to have to talk to them about it.

Esme shouted over that we had a few more minutes before our next interview. I started getting that nervous feeling in my stomach again, and thought a cigarette would be great. But I didn't want to have to go outside and risk being seen.

"Ugh, these interviews are taking forever," Rosalie whined. "There's no way I'm going to be able to sneak into the FanFic panel at this rate."

Jasper choked on his bottle of water and Alice started asking him if he was okay. I looked over at Edward and he was looking down at his shirt again, smoothing his fingers over the fabric. It looked like an interesting habit, so I tried it, too. And I found it very calming.

"What? Yes, I like to indulge in some reading every now and then; it's not a crime. I am a blonde with brains!"

Jasper wiped his face off and looked towards Rosalie. "It's not that, I just…never took you for a FanFiction kind of girl."

"Oh, then you underestimate me, Jasper Whitlock! You should see some of the things these writers make my character do. It's so interesting and…I don't know--I'd just like to be able to put some faces to the names."

"Tell me they are at least clever," he begged.

"Well, yeah, some are. Like HaleFreakingYes and Alice_in_Angeland. But then there are a few that don't make sense, like RTT187 and Little Debbie."

Edward started coughing and my eyes trailed over to him. He was shaking his head and I took a few steps closer. "Are you alright?" I asked quietly.

He looked up at me and nodded. Taking a deep breath, he somehow managed to right himself. "Yes, sorry. Air in the wrong pipe," he said with a nervous laugh.

I nodded and stuffed my hands in my pockets, again fighting the urge to soothe him.

"I hate to interrupt, Jasper and Edward, but it's time for the next interview," Esme announced.

Jasper and Alice started whispering and Rosalie was pretending to shoot herself in the head. I turned to Edward again and gave him an shy smile.

"So, you'll come tomorrow?" I asked hopefully.

He nodded. "Wouldn't miss it for the world." As soon as he said that, his face turned red and he began to fidget again. I held out my hand and he took it. I felt a huge calming sensation come over me and my shoulders relaxed.

"Thanks again, Edward, for everything you do with the website."

"Anything," he said, and I could have almost sworn I heard him mumble "for you."

He walked out with Jasper and Rosalie came over and hip-checked me. "So, Edward Cullen, eh?"

"Oh shut the fuck up, Rosalie, and go read your FanFic, you narcissistic perv."

Alice came over and squeezed my shoulder. "He's a nice guy, and a really good friend."

And just like that, I knew I could trust Edward.

** **

[Alice]

"MOTHER EFFER!" I screamed. I continued to blurt out hurried expletives while jumping around from foot to foot, waving my hand in the air. Eventually I realized that running my burned fingers under water would be a better choice than flailing around.

I watched the water running over my hand and couldn't help but shake my head at the mess I had made in this bathroom. I wasn't a girlie girl--_ever_. So why the hell did I think it would be a good idea to try and straighten my hair? Why did I spend way more money than I should have on "products?" Why had I thought that eyeliner and lip gloss was a good thing? The answer was simple: Jasper. He loved me, I loved him, and love makes you do stupid things… like attempting to be all girlie when you really have no idea how to be.

Getting all dolled up was not something I did on my own. I knew that it was easily possible for me to be the glam goddess that I portrayed in the movies. But when I was made up like my character, it involved several skilled stylists. In real life I hardly knew how to apply lipstick, let alone anything else, which is why I now had clear blisters on my fingers from the damn flat iron. I shut off the water and tenderly dried off my hands before looking at myself in the mirror.

Jasper didn't expect me to dress up for him; in fact, I was pretty sure he would have loved me in ratty clothes, but it had been a couple of weeks since we had gotten to see each other. I wanted to make tonight special, even if it was just the two of us eating room service in my hotel room. Life had been crazy lately, filled with concerts, movies, premieres, and photo shoots. Comic-Con was really the last big thing before _Shadow_, the third installment in the _CA_ series, hit theaters. It was two weeks until the Spider Monkeys' last show of the tour and then I would finally be able to relax… with my Jasper.

I smiled to myself as I tried to finish the makeup instructions that Rosalie had given me and thought about how much my life had changed since Van-Con. Before Jasper, I would have hated having time off. I would have found some project to work on or scheduled more shows for the band. Now I actually looked forward to the idea of doing absolutely nothing with the man I loved. My hand stopped applying the sticky gloss to my lips when a realization hit me.

I was settling down.

It was a few seconds before I remembered what I was doing and quickly mashed my lips together. I frowned as I screwed the lid back on to the pot of lip gloss and tossed it back into the bag. I wasn't sure if the idea of me being "settled" was comforting or scary. Was I ready to settle down? Was I supposed to settle down with Jasper? Did Jasper even want to? I loved Jasper, that much was certain, but was this… _forever_?

A quiet knocking pulled me from my thoughts and I quickly walked to the door to answer it. After a quick peek through the peephole to make sure it was Jasper, I pulled the door open. He looked so adorably frustrated, still wearing Emmett's tuxedo shirt and holding a few shopping bags. I smiled and moved aside for him to come in, but frowned when he just stood there looking at me.

"As much as I appreciate the view, is there a reason why you answered the door half-naked?" Jasper asked. His lips curled into a sly smile that made my tummy flutter.

I quickly looked down and realized that I wasn't wearing a shirt. After leaning up to give him a quick kiss, I turned back to go find my top. "I left it off so I wouldn't get make-up on it and I guess I forgot to put it back on."

"Are we going somewhere?" Jasper asked. I heard him drop his bags on the floor after shutting the door.

"No. Did you want to go somewhere? I thought you wanted to order room service." I buttoned the white gauzy shirt before turning back to him.

Jasper was leaned against the wall, watching me while shaking his head and _still_ smirking. "Did you get dressed up for me?"

"I did." There wasn't a point in lying about it. "I thought you deserved a little something special since you had such a bad day."

It wasn't two seconds later that I was wrapped up in Jasper's arms with his lips leaving soft kisses against my neck and jaw. I smiled, wrapping my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.

"It's much better now," he whispered against my neck. "The guys didn't want to go shopping, so I bought us a few hours while they go look at the merchandise."

I nodded and squeezed him. "Did you get clothes? Not that I don't like you in skin-tight shirts, but it's a little too…"

"Emmett?"

I laughed. "It isn't really your style, that's all I'm saying."

Jasper set me down. "I got some stuff, but I really wish my bag would get here. If I don't have it before Monday Ross is going to kill me. All of the station's equipment was in there. The airline would pay to replace it, I'm sure, but I would rather not deal with Ross."

"Did you call the airline?"

He nodded, still looking annoyed. "It still hasn't been located yet."

I watched as Jasper pulled a few clothes and toiletries out of the bags and juggled them between his hands.

"Do you mind if I take a shower?" he asked. "I feel like I still smell like baby puke."

I shook my head before leaning up on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Do you want me to order you dinner?"

"Please. I'll have… whatever you're having," he muttered.

I watched as Jasper moved into the bathroom before laughing. I really didn't think that he would enjoy a garden salad, so I ordered him something with a little more substance. After hanging up, I slipped into the bathroom to try to pick up my mess. I smiled when I heard Jasper humming to himself.

"How did Edward think the interview went?" I asked.

"I think it paled in comparison to the fact that Bella invited him to go to Erik's show tomorrow night. He wouldn't stop talking about it."

Pushing myself onto the vanity counter, I let my legs swing back and forth. "That surprised me… and Bella normally never surprises me."

Jasper laughed and a comfortable silence fell between us. I watched the steam curl into odd shapes over the top of the shower curtain while taking deep breaths full of the smell of Jasper's soap. I couldn't help but smile at how easy this had become, like it was just the natural next step for us. After Greenland, both of us were determined to drop the extra baggage that we were holding on to and just enjoy the whole being in love part. And I would be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying it a hundred percent. I just wished that everyone could feel this sort of contentment.

I must have been thinking too hard, because the next thing I knew, Jasper was standing in front of me with a towel wrapped around his waist. I smiled when his finger lifted my chin up to look at him and couldn't help but fall a little more in love with him.

"Tell me," he said softly.

I shrugged before reaching up and wiping a few water droplets off of his shoulder. "Do you ever wish that you could help people fall in love?"

"Alice," Jasper said slowly, "are you trying to play matchmaker?"

_Was I?_ I hadn't ever really been_ that_ person. I didn't set my friends up on dates or even try to push them towards relationships. But looking at Edward and Bella…I could just tell that it made sense. There were certain qualities about Edward that I knew would help Bella, just like I knew that Bella could be really good for Edward.

"I just think that…if I could help people find what I have with you…" I let my voice trail off, wondering if anyone could ever feel what I did for him. "Wouldn't it be great to be able to help your – our – friends feel that way?"

Jasper nodded slowly. "It would." I smiled but stopped when he gently covered my mouth with his fingers. "But I also know that you can't force people together. If Edward and Bella are meant to be, it will eventually happen. We can't _make_ it happen."

"So you see it, too? Edward and Bella…together?" I asked excitedly.

He laughed before leaning forward and kissing me gently. "I do."

His wet hair tickled my forehead and I giggled when Jasper leaned into me, nuzzling my neck while his fingers danced over my sides. After a few seconds of me squirming around on the counter, we settled into a quiet embrace. I kissed the damp skin of his shoulder while his hands ran up and down my back. Unfortunately, we were interrupted by room service.

*** ** ***

"Definitely glad you didn't get me a salad," Jasper muttered into his napkin.

I speared another piece of lettuce and examined it before giving his plate of very fattening pasta a reproachful glance. "I bet you are."

He knew I wasn't being serious and probably would have given me the rest of his dinner if I asked for it. However, we were only allowed so many cheat days and I had already used mine. I wasn't keen on the idea of Rosalie hounding my ass to work out more, so I shoved the roughage into my mouth and chewed without enthusiasm.

"I won't tell on you," Jasper said with a laugh. "If you want some of mine, you can have it."

Shaking my head, I swallowed. "She will find out. She always finds out! Bella had Jessica sneak her some Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Rosalie got pissed! She is literally like the workout Nazi, which is insane because that girl has a weird obsession with gummy bears!"

"Emmett's obsessed with Little Debbie products, or was. He's on this new diet kick. I'm actually proud of him."

I smiled at the affection in Jasper's voice for his friend. "You love them, don't you?"

He nodded while pushing his food around the plate. "They're my family. Even when Emmett absolutely pisses me off, he is still a brother to me. Even when Edward gets a little strung out in an OCD fit, he is still my best friend."

"You've known them a long time," I muttered. Jasper nodded, taking another bite. "Can I ask you something…about Edward?"

"Sure," Jasper said, wiping his mouth.

"He seems sort of introverted."

Jasper smiled. "That isn't a question."

I playfully hit his arm. "Has Edward ever…you know. Been with a girl?"

"Once, before I knew him," he nodded.

"Was it serious? Or just…"

Jasper sat his fork down before leaning back in his chair. I watched him as his face became serious, obviously thinking about how to answer my question. I remained silent, letting him work out his thoughts.

"Edward had a lot of issues when he was younger. I think a lot of them were because his mom died when he was so young, but he used to be really closed off from people, even more than he is now. He met Jenn when he was a junior in high school and she was really the only person he let in beside Emmett."

I nodded, letting him continue.

"They dated for a couple of years. I know that she was his first everything."

"What happened? Did they just break up?" I asked.

Jasper shook his head slowly. "She moved to New York to go to school. They just sort of grew apart, I guess. They still e-mail every now and then, but she's practically married to some guy she met and Edward…well he's pretty much in love with Bella."

I smiled and reached over to hold on to Jasper's hand. "I really think that if…no, _when_ this happens, that they will be incredibly happy together. Kind of like you and me."

"Baby," Jasper whispered, "no one will ever compare to how happy you make me."

An excited and nervous shiver ran over my body and it felt like my face would break from grinning so big. I got out of my chair and curled myself up in Jasper's lap. My head leaned against his chest and I closed my eyes, listening to the rhythm of his heart. His arms wrapped around my sides, holding me to him and making my body feel at home.

"Jasper," I said softly.

"Yeah?" his quiet voice answered.

"I love you."

** **

**JFI: **Here's a little ditty for you guys. I'm working on Stalkmett and he should be making an appearance soon! Hope you liked the outtake!

**LMW: **I thought you all might want to see what the girls have gotten up to at Comic Con, and I know some of you beautiful reviewers were wondering what Bella was thinking when she asked Edward to the show!

**Please drop us a review, and thanks for your continued support! Stalkettes know how to represent! Thanks for the recs, the nominations, and the all out general love!**


	28. Ain't no party like a Stalkmett party

**Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight and sometimes we wanna disown Stalkmett. Please remember that this chapter is not intended to make fun of any certain individuals. All of this is meant as a joke; please don't take any of personally.**

**** ****

[ Emmett ]

After ditching Edward and Jasper at the convention hall, I immediately pulled my cell phone out and send a text message to my people. It was only a few seconds later that I got a response back.

_We're at the Twinkle exhibit. Meet us here._

I rolled my eyes at the fact that they _would_ pick the gayest thing to look at and, of course I would be forced to look at it, too. I mean, who gave a shit about dancing vampires? Personally, I was much more interested in the manly exhibits. You know things with swords, guns, and blowing shit up. Anything that involved dancing around a meadow did not appeal to me.

Quickly, I checked my watch while making my way through the mass of people around me. The panel wasn't until four this afternoon, which mean that I still had a few hours before I had to be there. That was plenty of time to get organized and change clothes before the panel.

"Emmett!"

I looked up at the sound of my name and smiled when I saw Chelsea and Becca waving at me. I had been hoping that they would keep this low key, but that was apparently too much to wish for. I had barely taken another step towards them before they both pounced. I instinctively covered my nads which threw me off balance and led to the three of us falling to the floor.

"Can we not be cool about this? Ever?"

The two of them ignored my grumbling and helped me stand back up. I ignored the looks of people watching us and gave each one of them a massive hug; picking them up off the ground and setting them back down.

"Are we ready for this?" I asked.

"Fuck yeah!" Chelsea said enthusiastically. "Are you ready? I think that's the more important question."

I cocked an eyebrow and nodded my head. "I was born ready."

They both laughed and after a few agonizing hours of looking at gay vampire paraphernalia we were headed back to the hotel. While we walked, Becca gave me all of the information she had been able to find out about the other authors attending the panel. I didn't know half of the people or stories she was talking about, but there were a couple that rang a bell, and one that I had really been hoping would be there.

"Most of them are meeting for lunch today before the panel. I'm guessing you weren't invited."

I snorted at her and shrugged. "I'm sure my invitation got lost in the mail."

"Do you know what you're going to do?" Becca asked me. I shook my head as we waited for the elevator. "So, just general chaos then?"

"General chaos can cause a multitude of problems. And really, it isn't like I want to ruin this for anyone. I just think that it is time for real questions to be asked. Enough of this farting rainbows and shitting puppies bullshit!"

They both dissolved into a chorus of laughter as we got into the elevator. I punched the button to the right floor and leaned back against the glass wall. I looked at my watch again and smiled. There was still plenty of time for plotting.

*** ** ***

I shoved the sleeves of my jacket up onto my forearms and nodded to Chelsea and Becca. They gave me a small wave before heading towards the growing line for the FanFic panel. After a deep breath, I started trucking my way to the hallway where I was supposed to meet these people.

Once I figured out where I was going, it only took a few minutes to find the door I was looking for. There were a couple of women sitting behind a small table. They were laughing and chatting away but immediately stopped when they saw me.

"Hi," I said politely. Their eyes widened before looking at each other and then back to me.

"Can we help you?"

"I'm here for the _Carlisle's Angels_ FanFic panel. I'm at the right place, right?" I smiled, looking between the two of them and loving the look of shock on their faces.

After a few seconds one of them responded. "The line for the audience is at auditorium-"

"Oh no," I laughed, shaking my head. "I'm on the panel. I'm LittleDebbie!"

And there it was: the element of surprise. The two of them sputtered and laughed, sure that I was joking. But when I pulled my jacket off and showed them the LittleDebbie shirt that I'd had made, they shut up.

Their eyes roamed over my chest, looking at the actual Little Debbie logo that I had put on the shirt and then reading the script at the bottom that had my story title. I pulled on the bottom of it, holding it out so I could get a better look, and smiled.

"Awesome, huh? My friend Angela helped me make it. You can order one off of Café Press."

One of the girls nodded, still looking a little dazed, while the other started flipping through a list that she had sitting in front of her.

"It says that an Em Cullen is using the LittleDebbie pen name."

"Yeah, that's me. Em is short for Emmett." I pulled out my driver's license and handed it to her. "Trust me. Nobody would pretend to be me."

She stared at the license, matching the address to the one listed on my information sheet, and then looked back up at me. "We just assumed Em stood for Emily."

I shrugged and took my license back from her. "Common mistake I guess. So… can I go in? Or am I excluded because I don't have a vagina?"

She nodded slowly, shoving a clipboard at me. I signed my name, got my name badge and took off down the hall while zipping my jacket back up.

***** ** *****

Hell on Earth for the majority of the male population would be being surrounded by a bunch of gossiping and giggling females that you had absolutely no sexual attraction to whatsoever. For me it was amusing.

I stood off to the side, leaning against the wall, watching as they all giggled, squealed, and hugged. Other than curious stares, no one had bothered to talk to me. I didn't mind. It made it easier to assess the enemy. Okay, enemy was a strong word. It made it easier to assess…them. I wondered if they thought that I was some sort of security detail because it was obvious they had no idea I was an author.

It was a few moments before we were supposed to go out into the auditorium when the girls from the registration table came walking towards us. I smiled when they eyed me warily.

"The panel will start in a few minutes! We need you to start getting in line!" One of them yelled over the giggling. "We will call out your name according to the seating arrangement."

I watched as the women filed into a line once their name was called. I recognized a few of the names and found it interesting that most of them didn't look a thing like what I thought they would. A couple of them looked old enough to be my mom, which I found awesome as fuck. If my mom was still alive, I knew she would have been all over the _CA_ series. Edward would have made sure of it.

"Em-Emmett Cullen."

"That would be me!" I said loudly. The girl standing next to me jumped in shock. I ignored her and walked to my place in line, wanting to yell '_Haha I'm a dude and I write smut and you fuckers had no idea!_' I didn't, though. Instead I just smiled and unzipped my jacket, taking it all the way off this time.

The woman standing in front of me looked shocked. I stuck my hand out and smiled. "I'm Little Debbie. You're AngelsHonor, right? I read your stuff."

She nodded slowly before tentatively shaking my hand.

"Thanks for the invite to lunch by the way, sorry I couldn't make it."

Her face fell and I smiled. Before I could attempt to introduce myself to anyone else, we were being paraded through the auditorium. I smiled like a smug son of a bitch at all of the curious stares and whispers that followed me. When I saw Becca and Chelsea sitting near the front, I nodded in recognition.

My heavy footsteps echoed around the room as I made my way up the stairs onto the platform that our table was sitting on. When I reached my chair I smiled at the curious stares looking back at me and threw my arms up.

"What's up Comic Con?!" I yelled.

Just as expected, the room erupted in cheers and applause. I pulled my chair out and sat down, smiling when I saw that I had my own microphone in front of me. _That was convenient._ The room eventually settled down and we all watched as the panel moderator made her way to the podium.

She talked about how the Q&A would go, what the process was…basically covering all of the boring shit that no one ever paid attention to. It wasn't until the end of her speech, when she said that all of the authors would be introducing themselves that people focused.

I waited, impatiently, while everyone took their turns. It was mostly the same bullshit. My name is so and so, I have five kids, love _CA_ because it introduced me to some of my best friends… blah blah. You would think that as authors, these people would be able to come up with more creative answers. When it was finally my turn, I smiled innocently for a few seconds. Once I was sure that I had everyone's attention I slipped the microphone out of its holder and slowly pushed back from the table.

"Well, hello ladies," I said smoothly. I smiled at the laughter and the applause. I pushed my chair back up to the table and pulled the mic cord, giving me a little slack. "My name is Emmett Cullen, pen name is LittleDebbie, and I do in fact have a penis."

The laughter was louder this time, making my smile bigger.

"I write _Chocolate Syrup Rendezvous _and I am also a FanFic moderator for FallenAngels (dot)org. I got into _CA_ because Rosalie Hale is hot as hell and because my brother made me. Other than that, I like sports, beer, cheese and the Muppets. Animal is my idol. Anything else you want to know, feel free to ask." I bowed before sitting back down and putting the mic back in its stand. The rest of the introductions were extremely lame compared to mine. It wasn't really their fault, though; I'm a hard act to follow.

When we finally got to the Q&A, my ass was asleep from the uncomfortable chair and my leg was bouncing up and down from built up energy. The first couple of questions were boring and the same shit that I'd heard from AngelsHonor back in Vancouver.

"I have a question for all of the authors," a woman said. I straightened up, hoping that it would be a good question. "Do you think you'll ever try to get published?"

Before I could stop myself, a loud and obnoxious laugh left my mouth. When everyone turned to look at me, I shrugged while still laughing. "Why the hell would anyone want to pay to read my shit?"

AngelsHonor, who was sitting to my left, crossed her arms across her chest.

"I mean, the only reason why most of us read Fan Fiction is because we are drawn to the characters, right? So why would I want to pay to read the same story about 'Arnold and Elle' when I'm not really drawn to the story, just the _CA_ characters?" I asked.

"The majority of the stories have good enough plot lines that they could stand alone without the characters," AngelsHonor said. She gave me a condescending smile and I shook my head.

"In my opinion, yours isn't one of them."

There were a few gasps of surprise but the laughter from the audience justified my response. I smiled when the offended author sitting to my left glared at me.

"But hey, didn't you write _Even Angels Fall_ under a fake penname? I really liked that one better than your original. In fact, I would buy that as a book, and I don't own books. You should have just used your real name-"

"Next question, please!" the moderator interrupted.

I shrugged at the scowls aimed in my direction and turned back forward, smiling as a few of the other authors fielded questions.

"My question is for LittleDebbie." I nodded at the chick standing at the microphone and she continued. "I read your story, and love it by the way. Do you do anything particular while writing? Do you have to set the mood or anything?"

"Well," I drawled, sounding a lot like Jasper, "When writing smut, I really have to have music to write to. It has to be something with a…wait--you know that's something I don't understand about other stories? How can you guys write sex to these whiny ass songs with no beat? As a dude, I am telling you that it is way easier to bone when you've got a rhythm going. Lyrics don't matter when you're going at it."

Chelsea and Becca were cracking up, both of them doubled over in their chairs and covering their mouths trying to conceal their laughter. I turned to look down the table at one of the other authors, Smutterific, who was laughing hysterically. Her story was famous for the smut she wrote and reminded me of another problem I saw with FanFiction.

"Just like I don't understand why you chicks write these characters that can go on having sex for hours at a time. As a dude with a functioning penis, I can tell you that shit does _not_ happen in real life. We can't just go at it, hopefully getting you off, then get ourselves off, and a minute later be ready for more. Our anatomy doesn't work like that. Any guy who tells you that he can get off more than twice a night with his wang and without long breaks between is a damn liar."

"Do you ever write from real life experience?" Smutterific asked me. "Because I read your story and if chapter twenty-three is from real life…"

Her voice trailed off when I started nodding. "Oh yeah, anything that you've read in my story is based off of real life. It really isn't that difficult if you have a flexible partner, but they need to have really long legs. You just-"

"Is this not about the actual stories?!" AngelsHonor yelled. She turned to glare at me. "Why are you even here?!"

I frowned and looked around. "I was invited."

"But you aren't even interested in the actual stories! Or letting anyone else talk!" she screamed at me.

"Are you really mad because I'm giving you a male's perspective? Or are you mad that people aren't asking _you_ questions?" I asked her. "Because I really do have some questions about _Even Angels Fall_ if you're willing to admit that you actually wrote it."

"Ugh!" she yelled before pushing away from the table.

I watched as she stomped down the platform and down the stairs, a few of her minions following after her. The room was quiet, other than Chelsea and Becca's snorting. I shrugged and looked back at the audience facing me.

"Anyone else have questions?" I asked.

A woman towards the front of the auditorium stood up. "Can you explain exactly how the shower scene in chapter four is possible?"

"Oh sure!" I leaned forward on my elbows. While I explained the techniques needed, they all scribbled down notes frantically.

An hour later we all left the panel. The majority of the women there now had several sex tips and I felt a lot like Dr. Ruth.

***** ** *****

What was it about this woman that turned everything about me inside out and upside down? I didn't get nervous about anything else but her! I didn't worry about what I wore or what I would say, unless it was something involving her! So why the fuck was I standing in the men's bathroom, staring at my reflection, worrying about what I would say to Rosalie Hale? Because I am a fucking pussy, that's why! I grumbled to myself, trying to ignore the mindless dick talk from the guys in the stalls behind me and focusing on re-tucking my shirt for the millionth time.

"She was sitting in that chair and her jeans were so fucking tight. It was like a she had a non-disgusting form of cameltoe while sitting down."

I wanted to laugh because that was something I would have said, but then they would know that I had accidentally heard part of their conversation, and there are some things you just don't do in a men's bathroom.

"What about Alice and Bella?" another voice asked.

My head snapped up, glaring at the door to the stall behind me.

"Bella is a little too weird for me, but I bet Alice is a freak in bed; she seems like she would have a kinky side."

The two of them laughed and a couple of seconds later the room was filled with the sounds of toilets flushing. When the doors opened I was glaring at their reflection but they didn't pay any attention to me.

While I pretended to wash my hands, again, I noticed they were both wearing media passes like mine. I squinted into the mirror to read who they were representing. When I saw that they were from the Angeleers website, I nearly ripped both of their arms off just so I would have something to shove up their asses.

They continued talking while drying their hands. "I swear to God, tonight I am going to make it happen. I'm going to get Rosalie Hale's titties pressed up against me and find out if the nipple ring piercing rumors are true."

I saw red. Without stopping to think, I grabbed the guy who had just said that and slammed him up against the wall. My fingers were curled into his suit jacket, holding him in place.

"I'm warning you, if I find out you do anything more than fucking shake Rosalie's hand, I will make you regret it," I growled. "Got it?"

He nodded, looking like he might piss himself. Since I didn't want him dribbling on my shoes, I let him go and watched him and his friend leave in a hurry. Once the door shut, I put my hands on the counter and leaned forward. The adrenaline of my anger ebbed the nervousness from before but had made me edgy.

While trying to calm down, I tried to figure out what the hell to do. The old Emmett would have beaten the shit out of those assholes on principle. However, brawling at a charity cocktail party definitely wouldn't make me look good in Rosalie's eyes. She already thought I was a dick; getting in a fight wouldn't help. So I asked myself, what would the new Emmett do? The only thing that made sense would be to warn Rosalie about their intentions. Then if something did happen, at least she would know why I was fighting some douche bag.

I rewashed my hands, re-tucked my shirt, straightened my hair and fixed my collar before pushing the bathroom door open and headed back to banquet room where the cocktail party was being held.

There were quite a few celebrities already there. Johnny Depp was talking to a group of reporters about his new movie. The lead actor from the _Twinkle_ series was standing at a corner table looking sullen and drunk while surrounded by a security detail. I just kept walking, ignoring the fanfare and made my way to the bar.

"Scotch, straight up," I muttered.

The bartender nodded and got to fixing my drink. My eyes searched the room looking for the asshat from the bathroom. It didn't take but a few seconds to single in on him. He was standing with a group of middle-aged men making obscene gestures with his hands, obviously talking about tits. I ground my teeth together and took my drink.

After finding a spot where I could watch the door for Rosalie and still keep an eye McDouchey, I sat down and starting checking Edward's twitter. I found it reassuring that he hadn't updated since leaving for the concert and really hoped that he was having a good time. To say that he had been excited after their interview was an understatement. He was literally walking on air. After the panel, Edward and I roamed around the merchandise room and it was easy to see how happy he was. He had a spring in his step and real honest to God smile on his face. He had seemed rather nervous this morning, but after getting a massage that Jasper and I arranged, he seemed good as new. I sent him a quick message, telling him to have fun, and slid my phone back in my jacket pocket.

I downed the rest of my drink and shook the sleeve of my jacket back to look at my watch. The party had been going on for over an hour and Rosalie still wasn't here. I was contemplating leaving when the door next to my table opened. I casually glanced at it until I saw a pair of seriously nice legs walking towards me.

My eyes traveled up her legs and body, admiring as they went, until I saw her face. She looked flustered and maybe even slightly nervous while looking around the room. I couldn't help but smile at the blush that sat on her cheeks and covered her chest. She was really fucking beautiful.

Rosalie was immediately surrounded by journalist and photographers. She laughed and answered their questions after apologizing for being so late. I watched in amazement as she handled their hounding with classic grace. She held her shoulders high which made her chest unavoidable, especially since it was wrapped in a red silk that matched her lips.

I watched her for several minutes while working out what I wanted to say in my head. She posed for pictures, signed autographs, and accepted a glass of champagne that she'd been holding for five minutes and not taken a drink of. After breaking away from the group of people that surrounded her, she sat the glass on a table and looked around the room.

Rosalie was maybe ten feet away from me and all I could do was stand there looking like a dumbass with my mouth hanging open. It wasn't until I saw McDouchey out of the corner of my eye that I made my move. I casually checked my shirt tails before stepping into her pathway. She was looking in the opposite direction and ran right into my arm, which is exactly what I was hoping for her to do.

"Oh!" she gasped, grabbing my arm. "I am so sorry, I wasn't watching where…"

I smiled as her eyes searched my face and her voice trailed off. She looked confused for a second before taking half a step back and looking my body over. I wanted to be a complete tool and say something mixed between sarcasm and sexual innuendos, but decided she wouldn't appreciate it.

"It's okay," I said quietly. "I was actually hoping--"

"What are you doing here?" she interrupted me.

I tried not to look disappointed at her lack of enthusiasm. "My brother Edward's site got two media passes and since he got to do the interview, he said I could cover this."

She looked torn between excitement and anger. When she popped her hip out and her hand flew to it, I figured it was more anger. "Have something you want autographed?"

_Yup, she was still pissed. _I shook my head and shoved my hands in my pants pockets.

"No, actually, I wanted to apologize."

She looked surprised for a fraction of a second before recovering. Her arms crossed across her chest and she glared at me. When she didn't say anything, I continued.

"I was a complete ass in Vancouver. I wanted to apologize and tell you that I'm sorry for treating you like that," I said calmly. When her glare lessened, my body relaxed.

"It was disgusting."

I nodded, keeping my mouth shut. Her posture relaxed but she was still scowling. After a second she shook her head.

"Apology accepted. But if you ever do anything like that again, I'll kick you in the balls instead of punching your face. Got it?" she asked.

I couldn't help but smile when I nodded in understanding. "Got it."

She looked at me for a second before turning on her heel and heading to the E! News table. I smiled in satisfaction as she went. I watched as she did an interview, wishing that our encounter would have been more, but was extremely happy that it had even occurred. She could have just punched me again.

The thought of being punched reminded me of McDouchey and I looked around the room to find him. His weasel friends were sitting at a table, looking drunk and maybe a little high. I followed their gaze to see Mr. Asshat heading towards Rosalie. My brain screamed, _INTERVENE!_

I pushed through a crowd of people until I reached Rosalie. She was laughing, but stopped when my hand curled around her elbow, turning her towards me.

"Rosalie, you've got to listen to-"

Her eyes narrowed and she yanked her elbow away from me. "I don't 'have' to do anything."

Rosalie stuck her nose in the air before stepping around me. I practically growled in frustration and followed after her. She stopped to talk to a few people, rolling her eyes when she saw me but otherwise ignoring my presence. For twenty fucking minutes it was like cat and mouse between the two of us, except I wasn't really sure who was who in the scenario. Was McDouchey the cat, and Rosalie the mouse? Was I the cat? Fuck!

After I sighed in frustration, Rosalie rounded on me and grabbed the sleeve of my jacket. I thought that maybe she was finally catching the hint, and then thought maybe she wanted something else when she started pulling me to a secluded corner of the room. When she stopped and turned around, I realized that she definitely didn't want something else.

Her blue eyes were wide with anger. "STOP STALKING ME!"

Her angry whisper pissed me off. Here I was, trying to be a nice guy and keep her away from creepers like Asshat , and she was accusing _me_ of stalking her?! This was utter bullshit!

"If I was _STALKING_ you, you wouldn't be able to fucking see me!" I harshly whispered back to her.

"Then why the hell are you following me around?!"

"I'm trying to keep you from being molested by that guy," I said angrily, pointing in his direction. "He actually _is_ stalking you but you won't fucking listen to me!"

Rosalie's eyes followed the direction that I was pointing. She started laughing before punching my arm.

"He interviewed me this afternoon! He isn't stalking me, Emmett! I picked their website to interview us! Their whole site is dedicated to me…he probably just wanted to talk!" she explained defensively.

"Well then I hope you're ready to punch someone again because he wants to talk to you about your tits and wondering if the rumors about your nipples being pierced are true!"

Her arms immediately crossed across her chest while she glared at me. "We have security here for a reason, Emmett!"

I laughed before pointing at the table where the _Twinkle_ actor was sitting. "Yeah you do, and all five of them are protecting him. Not you!"

"Leave. Me. Alone," Rosalie said through clenched teeth.

I glared back at her, wondering if there had ever been another woman as fucking stubborn as her. When she turned on her heel and left, I stood there fuming, but not deterred. I leaned against the wall, keeping one eye on Rosalie and another on Captain Asshat McDouchey.

I pulled my tie off, shoving it in my pocket, and unbuttoned the top few buttons of my shirt. If this shit was seriously going to go down, then I would need to be prepared. I pulled my suit jacket off and laid it over the back of a chair. Still keeping an eye on both of them, I pulled my phone out and sent a text message to Jasper and Edward.

_If I get arrested tonight for defending Rosalie's honor, bail me out._

It wasn't but a few seconds later that I got responses but ignored them. I shoved the phone back in my pocket and cracked my knuckles, watching as the Angeleers asshole crept closer and closer to Rosalie. It infuriated me that she wasn't even paying attention to what was going on around her. She kept her back to the crowd while talking with people. I probably could have snuck up behind her and thrown her over my shoulder and she wouldn't realize what was going on until we were in the hallway.

Rosalie waved to the couple she had been talking to before heading towards the bathroom exit. I looked to see if any of the security or celebrity handlers was going with her, but none of them moved. I started walking to the exit, planning on just waiting in the hallway, when I got hung up on some woman's purse. I nearly tripped which would have landed me in the center of their table. After righting myself and apologizing, I looked up to see McDouchey heading out of the same exit Rosalie had just left through.

I ran to the exit and threw the door open. I saw the women's bathroom door swing shut and thundered down the hallway after them. I pushed the door open and it hit the wall behind it with a loud thud. Rosalie turned at the noise but instead of focusing on me, she finally noticed the asshole standing in between us. I hurtled the small vanity chair that sat in the way and tackled the asshole to the ground.

Rosalie started screaming at me when my fist started colliding with his sides, so I settled on just sitting on his back. He groaned at my weight while telling anyone that would listen that he hadn't done anything wrong. That didn't stop security from hauling his ass away once they finally got their lazy asses in there five minutes later.

I watched as they shoved him out of the bathroom, leaving Rosalie and I alone. She looked shocked, angry and scared. Her eyes were focused on the back of the door while she slowly shook her head back and forth.

"Are you alright?" I quietly asked.

Her eyes finally looked at me and she nodded. "Thank you," she whispered. "I shouldn't have ignored…"

Her voice drifted off and a second later her eyes became wide and crazy looking. She walked towards me, her long legs closing the gap in a few seconds. I watched in shock as her hands fisted in my shirt and she pulled me towards her. My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when her lips collided with mine.

When her hands slid up my chest and around my neck I finally responded back. I grabbed her hips and pulled her closer to me while my mouth opened to her forceful tongue. Her fingers continued up my neck and into my hair. They threaded into my hair and started pulling my face closer to hers. I moaned into her mouth.

I was about to suck her bottom lip into my mouth when she suddenly pushed me back against the wall. Her hands were splayed against my chest, keeping me where I was. I stared at her, shocked at the fact that she had kissed me, and confused as to why she had fucking stopped.

"What-" I breathed.

Rosalie's eyes snapped open and she stared at me for a second before taking her hands off of my chest. She straightened her dress and tossed her hair off her shoulder before speaking. "Tell anyone about this and I'll make you regret it."

She leaned forward and placed another lingering kiss on my lips before turning and walking out of the bathroom.

My chest was heaving while my brain was spinning. I stared at my reflection in the mirror in front of me.

"What the fuck just happened?" I asked. The damn reflection was just as confused as I was.

** **

**JFI: **I really hope this chapter lived up to all of your expectations. I was really nervous about writing it. Now… I know we have some male readers and I wanna talk to them! Do you guys have Twitters? Facebooks? Gchats? Get with me! Thanks as always for reading!

**LMW:** That JFI is a genius, isn't she? *happy sigh* Get some, Stalkmett!

Don't forget for all the latest on the boys, check em out on Twitter chbbywnkr, oh_jasper, edweird_cullen and CA's own LittleMissAliceB

Its awards season, and The Giggle/Snort Awards are taking nominations, so if you feel inclined, let's get the Stalking boys to the top!

In other awards happenings: Stalking is up for a Faithful Shipper and a Silent Tear Award! Thanks for choosing us as one of your favorites!


	29. Just When You Least Expect It

**Disclaimer: WE don't own Twilight, but WE, JustForkIt and Little Miss Whitlock, co-author this story.**

[Edward]

"Passes."

I timidly held up the backstage pass that Alice had given us and skirted past the security guard. Jasper, obviously used to this, simply held it up and walked through. I must have looked as nervous as I felt because once my best friend sidled up to me his hand gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze and guided me in the right direction.

"Don't be nervous, Edward," Jasper said quietly. "Bella is a normal person. You don't have to act differently just because she's a celebrity."

I nodded even though I didn't agree with him. There were a million different words I could've used to describe Bella Swan, but 'normal' wasn't one of them. She was amazing, talented, extraordinary, stunning, quirky…I could keep going but none of them would ever do her justice. Jasper's hand tightened on my shoulder, forcing me to look at him.

"I know that she isn't normal, like that, to you," he smiled. "I meant that I've gotten to know Bella and she is a lot like Alice. They just want to be treated like themselves and don't want special recognition from people around them. They don't want to be treated like celebrities."

"Wasn't it ever weird with Alice?" I asked him. "I mean, in the beginning, didn't you worry about what to say or how to act around her?"

Jasper shrugged his shoulders and slid his hand into the pockets of his jeans. "It was different with Alice. It felt more right with her than with anyone else I've ever dated. You know?"

I wanted to roll my eyes at his answer but stopped myself. I am sure that if I had asked him about all of this right after our trip to Vancouver his answers would be different. Besides, how was there any way that I would have known what he was talking about. Other than Jenn, there hadn't ever been anyone else. Then Bella came along and every other girl in the world didn't interest me. I was saved from having to mention that out loud by a very bouncy Alice Brandon.

"You're here!" she said excitedly.

She gave me a quick hug before turning to Jasper. I moved aside, giving them room for their PDA, but was surprised when they just smiled stupidly at each other before continuing down the hallway. I followed behind them, watching as Alice's small hand brushed against Jasper's arm. His fingers tangled with hers for a split second before the two of them moved apart.

I frowned, wondering if something had happened, until I realized that people were looking at us. More specifically, they were looking at Alice. Club employees, stage hands, and other miscellaneous people were walking around backstage and every single one of them stopped when they noticed her. That explained why Jasper was acting more like an acquaintance than her boyfriend. Their relationship was still a secret to anyone outside of friends and family…and Emmett. It was not going to be pretty when my brother found out about this, and it was definitely something I was staying out of.

"Edward," Alice said calmly. I looked up to see the two of us standing beside a doorway that Jasper had just walked through. The tiny woman in front of me smiled before reaching out to hold on to my hand. "Just be you. Don't pretend to be someone you aren't because Bella will see right through it and there is nothing wrong with being Edward Cullen. Got it?"

I swallowed thickly before nodding. Alice squeezed my hand before pushing the door open and walking forward. I took a deep breath and followed behind her.

Honestly, I had no idea what to expect, but it wasn't this. There really weren't that many people in Erik's dressing room and it seemed more like hanging out at someone's apartment than being backstage at a concert. Alice slid onto Jasper's lap before joining in the conversation between Jessica and Erik. Bella was sitting on a couch laughing with two of their friends that I recognized as Vicki Tartan and Marcus Tiller. Along with Jessica and Erik, the five of them made up the "Brit Pack," or at least that's what some of the fans had started calling them anyway.

I stood near the doorway with my hands shoved in my pockets until Jasper nodded for me to sit in the only empty seat in the room, next to Bella. I started to shake my head but stopped when a pair of wide brown eyes caught my gaze.

She smiled, small at first then getting wider, before patting the couch cushion beside her. My feet felt like lead but I forced myself to move towards her. Bella watched me as I walked closer to her and then shifted once I'd lowered myself next to her.

"Hi," we both said at the same time.

I laughed, motioning for her to continue.

Bella's shoulders lifted as she leaned forward, sliding her hands between her knees and looking over her shoulder at me. "I'm glad you came." Her voice was shy but her smile seemed genuine, and that made my heart race from fear and excitement.

"Thank you for inviting me," I said quietly.

She lowered her eyes to the space between us as a faint blush spread across her cheeks. My fingers twitched to reach out and touch her cheek, to feel the smooth skin under my fingertips and turn her face so that she was looking at me. I wanted to pull her towards me and whisper promises of such love and devotion that it would put all other historic loves to shame. I settled for leaning forward and resting my elbows on my knees, making the two of us even. Her eyes looked at me and I smiled, hoping she wouldn't consider this an invasion of personal space.

Bella stared at me for a few seconds before whispering, "What's your favorite color?"

"Brown," I answered without thinking. Her blush got brighter but she didn't look away. "Yours?"

I already knew the answer was blue because she had answered it in several interviews. But I played dumb and smiled as Bella's eyes bore into mine.

"Green," she answered softly.

I felt my mouth fall open from surprise and heard the strange nervous gurgling sound that came from the back of my throat; but I couldn't stop staring at the woman next to me. Bella's smiled widened and she shrugged when I started sputtering something that was supposed to sound something like "blue." Before I could try to make sense of what had just happened, Erik's voice interrupted the little bubble I'd been in since sitting down.

"So you're the famous Edward Cullen?" he asked.

I blinked before looking over Bella's shoulder at her friend. I swallowed thickly before answering. "I don't know about famous, but I'm Edward."

Erik nodded. "Bella and Alice haven't stopped talking about you since your website went on the politically active side."

Bella's head snapped in his direction and even though I couldn't see her face, I could see the blush traveling over her neck. Alice giggled from her seat on Jasper's lap and Jessica rolled her eyes at her best friend's stuttering explanation.

"It's an important issue for a-a-any celebrity."

"Edward's actually been asked to help petition on Capitol Hill," Alice said proudly.

"It isn't like that," I muttered, "I just got asked to build a website for a group that is going."

"You shouldn't be so modest," Jessica reached across from her chair and playfully punched my arm. "If it is important enough to keep these two talking then…well…"

Her voice trailed off as she gave me a knowing look while motioning to Alice and Bella. I smiled even though I didn't know what it was supposed to mean.

"I'm Jessica by the way. And the man with the guitar is Erik. The blonde is Vicky; she tends to cuss a lot when she gets rat-assed, so watch out. And Marcus is sitting next to her."

I had no idea what rat-assed meant but Vicky smiled and lifted her glass in recognition, so I nodded.

Bella giggled, which made my heart swell and my stomach tingle. She leaned into me and whispered, "It means getting drunk, like…_really_ drunk."

"Oh," I said quietly. She smiled and sat back up, taking another drink from the bottle that had been sitting between her feet.

I looked at Jasper, who was lost in a staring contest with Alice, and nudged his foot with mine. When they both looked at me I slightly nodded my head towards Bella and mouthed, "She's drunk!"

Alice giggled and hid her face in Jasper's shoulder while he just smiled. I rolled my eyes when he told me that it would be okay and focused my attention back on the girl sitting next to me. I should have noticed it when I first sat down, especially when she was openly saying what she had said, but it wasn't until I smelled her breath that I realized it.

I watched her talking with her friends for a few minutes and started picking up on the fact that Bella was seriously uninhibited while drinking. Her laughter was loud and giggly. She tended to move closer to people, touching them instead of keeping to herself. It was bizarre but comforting at the same time, because even though she never acted like this around fans, it was good to know that when Bella was surrounded by people she trusted she could be herself. It also made me a little hopeful that she would consider me one of those people.

We sat backstage through the first two acts and then followed Erik to the stage area. There was a doorway that lead to the stage and opened up to face the crowd. I nervously watched Bella as people started screaming, hoping that she wouldn't have a panic attack, but she just stayed behind Marcus's shoulders and watched as Erik climbed the steps to the stage.

Flashes were going off, people were screaming, and then music started flowing through the speakers. It was sensory overload. I shoved my hands in my jacket pockets while my eyes darted around the room. I had no idea what a crazy fan on the verge of attacking a celebrity might look like, but I was keeping my eyes peeled just in case. I suddenly wished that Emmett had been able to come--he would have intimidated the hell out of anyone even _thinking_ about touching Bella, much less someone who actually did.

"Looking for someone?" Vicky asked, nudging my back.

"Jasper and Alice were right behind me…"

"Oh," she laughed, "They're probably in the back snogging, which will then lead to fuc-"

"Have you ever seen him live before?" Bella asked loudly, interrupting her friend.

I shook my head and leaned down so that she would be able to hear me. "We were going to see him in Vancouver, but didn't make it to the show."

She nodded and leaned back against the brick wall behind us which moved her slightly closer to me. Marcus looked over his shoulder at Bella and then at me. His eyes narrowed for a second before smoothing out. I nodded, hoping it would be a silent way of telling him that I had no intentions of touching Bella unless she asked me to. He gave me a quick nod in return before facing back to the stage.

"Do you want to go get a drink?" Bella yelled a few songs later.

"I can go get you something if you don't want to leave," I replied, leaning down again so she could hear me.

She shook her head and walked around me, grabbing the bottom of my jacket and pulling me behind her. I nearly tripped as I spun around but caught myself. It was much quieter in the hallway. The cement walls buffered the noise but left you feeling like your head was in a bubble.

Bella kept walking in front of me, keeping a grip on my jacket and pulling me after her. I smiled and bit my tongue to keep myself from telling her that she didn't need to pull me--I would gladly follow her anywhere she wanted to go. But I didn't want to sound like a creeper and I definitely didn't want her to let go of me. We walked to a small room a few doors down that had a couple of chairs and a small bar and refrigerator up against the wall.

"Do you mind?" Bella asked. She turned around to look at me before heading to the fridge. "I didn't even ask if you minded leaving the show."

A quiet chuckle escaped my mouth. Did she really think that I came here to see Erik? Her eyebrows rose at my laughter and I shook my head.

"No, I don't mind. I um…" I shrugged and looked around the empty room. "This is nice… you know? Quiet?"

Bella handed me a bottle and I took it, twisted the top off, and handed it back to her. She looked down at it and smiled.

"The bottle caps always hurt my hands when I try to open them," Bella said shyly.

I nodded and took the sealed bottle from her. I twisted its cap off and stuck both of the beer caps in my pocket.

"Do you...I mean…we could talk," Bella mumbled, looking at the floor. "If you want."

"Sure." I smiled and followed her to the two chairs that sat across from each other. She sat down and I did the same. It didn't escape my attention that her face was covered in a brilliant red blush or that her leg was bouncing up and down. She was nervous and trying very hard not to show it.

It made my heart physically hurt to see her like this. I didn't want to make her nervous or uncomfortable; I just wanted her to be herself…always. I didn't expect anything from her and was honestly more than ecstatic as to what she had given me regarding the interview and tonight. I wondered, how many people had taken advantage of her, how many people had pretended to be her friend just to get something out of the deal? It made my stomach churn to even consider that someone would treat her that way.

"When I was like six," I started. Bella's leg stopped bouncing and she looked up at me. "Emmett would make me watch _Mary Poppins_ with him, and then we would act out the chimney sweep song."

A small smile graced Bella's face so I felt like my randomness was justified. That was something Emmett had taught me; if the situation ever got too awkward, tell someone something funny about you to make them feel better.

"My brothers used to dress me up as a boy and tell people my name was Bobby," Bella said. "To this day I think I have a complex because of it."

And just like that the awkwardness vanished. I spent the next two hours in that little room talking to Bella. We took turns asking each other questions that normally lead to both of us laughing and her snorting a couple of times.

I watched the girl in front of me as she explained something about her career choices and couldn't help but admire her. I knew Bella was beautiful and I knew she was smart, but she really was a driven individual.

"I think that after _Henry Painter and the Chalice of Water_ came out, I just took so much for granted. I thought that I'd made it big and really turned into a bit of a tosser. Now, after _Carlisle's Angels_, I just want to make sure that I make the right choices. I don't want to take just any role, I want it to mean something and represent who I am as an artist."

I nodded in understanding. Bella shrugged and started playing with the sleeve of her hoodie and both of us jumped when my phone started vibrating in my pocket.

"I'm sorry," I muttered. She shook her head, telling me it was fine, while I checked my phone. I quickly opened the text message from Emmett and nearly dropped it as I read it.

"Are you alright?" Bella asked me.

I nodded and typed out a quick response to my brother. If he was going to get arrested that could totally ruin any and all chances that I had with Bella. My mind started coming up with solutions and I sent a message to Jasper, asking where the fuck he was.

"I'm really sorry," I apologized again.

"Edward, its fine."

The way my name sounded coming from her mouth left me feeling euphoric and smiling like a dumbass. My phone vibrated again and I saw it was a response from Jasper.

_Sorry, I was with Alice. I'll deal with Emmett._

I found it both hilarious and a little sad that my best friend, who was a grown man, had to sneak backstage at a concert to be with his girlfriend while my big brother was sending me text messages about getting arrested to defend a movie star's honor. And here I was, sitting back stage and talking to one of the biggest celebrities of my generation about Jell-o flavors. I shook my head trying not to laugh because none of this was really funny.

"What?" Bella asked, humor lacing her voice.

"It's just…surreal," I answered.

She picked at a hole in her jeans and smiled. "I think that about my life a lot."

I watched as Bella shifted in her seat, moving towards the edge. Her face was once again covered in a blush that made her more beautiful.

"Alice said that I could trust you," she said after a second.

My heart thudded against my ribcage and I nodded, wishing that I could verbally confirm what she was saying, but knowing I couldn't get the words out. I took a deep breath to try and make my mouth work, but stopped when Bella leaned towards me.

Her lips gently kissed the side of my face as her hand rested against my knee. Bella sat back up and smiled, looking directly into my eyes.

"I trust you, Edward."

[ Jasper ]

I woke up the morning after the concert and groaned at the light coming in.

"Hurry up, I'm hungry!" Emmett yelled as he shoved some of his stuff in his suitcase.

"Five more minutes," Edward groaned across the room as Emmett picked up a pillow and slammed him over the head.

"No way, up now!"

We got up and took turns showering and getting ready before heading down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Edward and I ordered eggs and toast, but Emmett seemed to have ordered the entire restaurant.

"What happened to your diet?" I asked cautiously.

"Don't wanna talk about it," he mumbled with his mouth full of pancakes and hash browns. He continued shoveling without even looking up or taking a drink until the plate was almost empty.

"So, do I want to know how last night went?" I questioned.

He shook his head. "Nope."

Edward was pushing his food around his plate with a small, contented smile on his face. I was glad things had gone so well for him at the concert. I know he was dying to tell Emmett all the details but he was concerned for his brother and looked over at me with questioning eyes. I just shrugged. I wasn't going to push him—I know when he kept pushing me before it only pissed me off.

We finished quickly after that and headed over to the convention center. A girl I'd never seen before started waving frantically at us and rushed over, almost knocking Edward down in the process.

"You're Edward Cullen, owner of Fallen Angels!" she squealed.

He nodded and smiled. "Hi."

She shook herself out of her frenzy and stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Charlotte! I'm an active member in the FA Forums,and we've chatted a few times in the chat box," she added with a blush.

I wiggled my eyebrows while Edward shook her hand.

"Well, it's really nice to meet you," he said awkwardly.

"Yeah! So how did the interview go? I saw you blogging about it before you left."

"Oh, it was awesome! I got to pick some questions from the forum and Twitter, and they are just really nice girls," he swooned.

She nodded excitedly. "Yea! I saw them walking around in the hallway and I got my picture with Rosalie! She's really awesome!"

I thought I saw Emmett flinch but I couldn't be sure. Something was up with him for sure, and I hoped he got out of this funk soon. There was no way I could tell him about Alice and me when he looked like he was ready to deck the next person to look at him sideways.

"And didn't I see you hanging out with Bella at the Erik Yorkie show last night?"

His face turned red and he nodded slightly. "Yes. She's really nice."

She squealed and hugged him tight, his eyes bugging out and I laughed. "This is great!"

He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck and he looked down at his feet and nodded.

"Charlotte, let's go! We gotta get in line for the _Twinkle_ signing!" one of her friends called.

"Well, it was nice to meet you and I hope we run into each other again soon," she said as she blushed and walked away.

"Damn, Edward, you are a pimp at this place," I teased as he scowled. I nudged him on the shoulder and rolled my eyes, letting him know I was kidding.

"Yea, yeah," he mumbled as he fiddled with his video camera.

We walked into the overly packed auditorium and somehow managed to score some decent seats in the near front, standing off towards one of the sides. Having media passes definitely came in handy. Everyone was chatting around us about last night's concert and the cocktail party. I strained to hear what they were saying.

"Edward, I swear to all that is Holy, if you don't turn that thing off and away from me right now…" Emmett growled.

I turned to look at him. Was he kidding? This was Edward's dream weekend. "Let it go, Emmett."

He narrowed his eyes at me and I swear I saw his nostrils flare before he turned away from us, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Hey, you're Little Debbie, right?" a girl asked him.

He nodded. "Yep."

"I was at the panel yesterday and I wanted to tell you that I'm so glad you were on it—what you said was real and true, and everyone could benefit from it."

Emmett gave her a small smile. "Thank you; I just said what everyone else was afraid to."

I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone—Emmett was being calm and…collected. I looked at my watch and verified the date. Something weird happened last night. And damn straight I was going to figure it out.

The lights dimmed and the crowd started screaming and howling. Edward stood up and began filming the entire scene. As soon as the announcer brought the girls out, the crowd went bonkers. Edward was grinning behind his camera and Emmett was just sat there.

I locked eyes with Alice and couldn't help but smile. She was wearing my plaid shirt that I'd mailed to her so long ago, only it fit her like a dress and she had a belt around it. She looked adorable and so sexy at the same time.

As each girl introduced themselves, the crowd would erupt in applause and shouts, and Rosalie would often egg them on by standing up and clapping along with them or hollering into the microphone.

They began asking questions that were previously submitted and then showed a clip from their upcoming film, _Shadows_, the third in the saga. As the lights went out, I heard a man near us start commenting about each of the girls.

"And that Alice Brandon, man what I wouldn't give to have her hot little body pressed against me. I'd show her how a real man treats a girl like her."

I wanted to punch him in the face and twist his nuts off. My blood started boiling and my vision turned red. This asshole…

"Hey, cut that shit out, man. It's not cool, there are kids around here," Emmett warned him.

When the guy turned around and saw the size of Emmett, his head ducked and he started whispering with his friend. I turned to Emmett and he just rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Dickwad," Emmett muttered.

I looked back up at the stage and my eyes caught with Alice's and I gave her a wink. She looked down at the table and smiled, her fingers running across the top. My hand drifted towards my pocket and a feeling of possession came over me that I hadn't ever felt before. I tried to beat back the beast inside me when Edward nudged me. I turned to look at him and he mouthed 'not worth it' to me and I nodded, relaxing some.

My eyes went back up to the stage where Alice was fiddling with one of the snaps on my shirt. I think it was in that exact moment that I knew I needed her forever. Knowing that ring was in my pocket was causing my anxiety to flare up. I wanted this to be a perfect memory for her, but I just kept getting worked up at the thought of what I would say, what I would do. My heart started racing fast and I got a sick feeling in my stomach. I knew what was coming next—it wasn't like this was the first time something like this had happened.

_I remembered being in high school; I'd stayed up all night, rehearsing over and over so I wouldn't sound like a blubbering fool._ _But some part of me inside knew that tomorrow, none of this would make a difference. I'd stand up and look out and…_

_ My hands were clammy and I felt my breath quickening. I stared down intently at the wood grain in front of me, my fingers digging into the soft indentations that had been made over the years. I closed my eyes and my lips began forming the outlines of all the words I'd said to myself in the mirror the night before. I was brilliant then, charming at most. And now? I was the mumbling fool._

_ A clearing of the throat caused my neck to snap over and stare. My teacher looked at me expectantly and some sort of gurgling noise came up from the back of my throat, making the other students in the class laugh. I stared down at my notes, which were more like Egyptian hieroglyphics to me right now. All the letters were blurring and twisting and I felt my knees start to quake._

_ "In the late…the late…the late..." I tried again, clearing my throat. "In the late 1900s, when the internet became…became…um, when the internet became less of a novelty and more of a—"_

_ I could feel their eyes on me, watching and waiting for me to fail. Snickers and whispers started after that and I tried again, butchering my way through the first paragraph of my speech, the only one I had memorized. My palms started to sweat and my tongue kept running over my lower lip, which felt amazingly dry. I was going to pass out any second now._

_ "Mr. Whitlock, do you need a moment?" the teacher, Mr. Simmons, asked._

_ I nodded but knew full well that I was going to need more than a minute to re-group myself._

_ "Alright, while Mr. Whitlock gathers himself, who'd like to go next?"_

_ Another student volunteered and I slunk back to my seat. My hands crumpled the papers that I'd brought with me and I felt my body swaying. I was going to be sick._

_ Of course, about half way through the other student's speech, I mustered up my courage and blurted out "In the late 1900s, when the internet became less of a novelty and more of a necessity, people began branching out in ways of connecting with other people!"_

_ Everyone turned to look at me. My teacher raised an eyebrow._

_ "Well, that's great, Mr. Whitlock, but Ms. Samuels was giving her speech. How about we let her finish and then you can regale us with your speech then?"_

_ I nodded and slipped down into my chair._ _Sometimes my anxiety seemed to get the best of me. It always caused me to make rash decisions and act on impulse._

And here I was again, my fingers twitching, palms sweating, knees shaking, and my tongue running over my lower lip. The room felt like it was getting hotter and hotter, and Edward was looking at me like I had three heads.

I started shaking my head minutely from left to right, trying to will myself out of this situation. This couldn't be happening. Not here. Not now.

"And another question from our audience: Rosalie, you're very connected with the Special Olympics Foundation. How did you become inspired to work with them?"

"That's a great question. Actually, when I was in High School, I used to volunteer to help out with the Special Education program and—"

Alice was sitting alongside her, staring at her with a look of wonder. She was playing idly with the straw in her drink and her eyes sparkled. I couldn't help but adore her, as I'm sure every other man was in this room. In fact, the thought caused a growl to rumble in my chest.

Suddenly I was swallowing thickly to keep the bile from coming up out of my throat. Somewhere in the middle of Rosalie talking about a subject that was very near and dear to her heart, I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind.

"Alice!" I shouted, instantly regretting it. Everyone in the room turned to me, and it was déjà vu from my public speaking class all over again.

Emmett was staring at me with a calculating look on his face, but I didn't have time for that. I jumped up out of my seat and began crawling over people and stepping on chairs to get to the front. I don't exactly remember how many people I probably injured, but my body was working on auto-pilot and I just _had_ to get to her.

"Alice!" I shouted again, feeling like I was making no progress. People were grabbing onto my shirt and yelling at me but I tuned them out. I tried to focus on her.

"Security!" someone shouted and I knew if I didn't get there soon I was going to be a goner.

"Alice Brandon, will you marry me?!" I yelled out.

People started laughing, probably thinking I was a crazed fan. I heard Emmett's gruff voice behind me telling people to "get the hell out of the way."

I almost made it to the stage when a strong arm grabbed me and pulled me backwards. My feet gave out and I just about fell to the floor.

"No, don't hurt him!" Alice shouted and I felt some relief in my chest.

The person holding me let me go and I hit the ground hard. I jumped up and my eyes desperately searched for her. And there she was, standing like a real angel, looking down at me, kneeling at the end of the stage.

"Alice," I whispered, feeling the prissy boy inside me take over.

"Jasper, what are you doing? Are you alright?" she asked, grabbing my wrist and helping to pull me up on the stage.

I nodded furiously, my hands twitching and sweating. I looked down at her sweet face and smiled. "Will you marry me?" I asked quietly.

"What?! What's he saying?" someone in the crowd yelled.

"I believe he's asking her to marry him," Rosalie said into the microphone, "so can everyone just calm down for a hot second?"

Alice's jaw was dropped and I felt my heart start beating frantically. I was almost as nervous as the time I showed up at her hotel room in Greenland.

"Alice Brandon, you have shaken up my world and somehow turned me into a better man. I live and breathe for you. Please don't make me beg, darlin'—will you marry me?"

Her loud squeal and grin made me feel ecstatic. "Oh, Jasper, of course!" She jumped into my arms and hugged me tightly. I tucked my nose into her hair and my chest relaxed as I realized here in her arms, I was home.

Of course, that relaxation didn't last for long when I heard Emmett near the bottom of the stage. "WHAT?!"

**LMW:** DUN DUN DUNNNN!!! Hey readers, whatcha think Emmett's gonna do? *evil laugh* I love connecting with you and making new friends! Hit me up on Twitter Melsvfp

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Please leave us a review and let us know whatcha think!

**VIVA LA FANBOY!**


	30. A Beginning and An End

**We don't own Twilight, but we hope to own the Gigglesnort Award categories we were nominated for! Details below!**

**[ Emmett ]**

What. The. Fuck.

I stared at my best friend, who currently had Alice Brandon wrapped around him, and then at my brother. Edward was standing there looking surprised, but not shocked, with his fucking video camera still in his hand. My eyes narrowed and I shook my head. He had fucking known this whole time.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please return to your seats!" The panel host begged into the microphone. That's when I realized the massive wave of hysteria going on behind us.

I tried to turn around, but the asshole fake Rent-a-Cop holding my arms shoved me up against the stage. He said something about "taking me out" and pushed my head down onto the platform, pulling my arms tighter behind me.

"That's my best friend!" I yelled, trying to move.

"Oh, no! No! No!" I tried to look up at the voice that was talking above me but my vision couldn't reach that high. "Officer, they're with us!"

His grip loosened and I looked up to see Alice kneeling in front of Edward. He looked like he was about to piss himself as she and Bella helped him up on stage. A hand appeared in front of my face and I glared up at its owner.

"Nice," I muttered, taking his hand and letting him help me up.

"Emmett, really…"

I ignored him and followed Bella, Alice and my brother off of the stage. Jasper was behind me as I jogged down the stairs, and he ran into my back when I came to a quick stop. Rosalie was hugging Alice, giving me a questioning look over her friend's shoulder.

Jasper stepped around me, immediately finding his _fiancé_, leaving me standing there to stare at the one woman I wanted and couldn't have. Rosalie-fucking-Hale…I didn't even know what to think about what had happened between us last night. Sure I had dreamt about kissing her, having her body against mine, about her pulling me towards her. But it had all been a dream! Now I fucking knew what it felt like! I knew what her mouth tasted like and how her body felt in my hands! I'd been with one manipulative bitch and sworn to myself that I wouldn't go down that road again; and honestly, who would have thought that Rosalie would be like that? She was always wrapped up in her charity work and volunteering anytime she could--she didn't seem the type to be manipulative. But like the fucking moron that I am, I'd gone and fallen in love with her. This morning I had at least thought that I wouldn't ever have to see her again, that I could just pine away on my own, but now thanks to Jasper-fucking-liar-Whitlock, I was definitely going to be seeing her more often. What with our mutual best friends getting married and all.

Staring at the newly engaged couple, I shook my head. I wasn't a fucking idiot; I knew and had known all along that something was going on between the two of them. Fuck buddies, maybe. In love and engaged? Hell to the fucking no. I frowned when Rosalie moved towards me and tried not to breathe when she stood in front of me. One whiff of her fucking perfume and I would probably tackle her to floor and maul her or bust out crying hysterically. All of this was so confusing! I wasn't meant to feel all of these damn emotions at once!

Rosalie leaned into me and I leaned backwards. "Don't ruin this for them," she said quietly.

My eyes narrowed and my frown deepened.

"Alice has been scared to death that you would hate her when you found out. We all know you have a tendency to act rashly-"

"ME?" I hissed at her. "You…last night…we…"

She grabbed my arm when I started sputtering, digging her nails into my skin. "We can _not_ talk about that here!" Rosalie whispered harshly. "Just be fucking happy for your best friend!"

"Oh, I'm happy!" I said loudly. Alice and Jasper, along with Bella, Edward, Esme, Carlisle, Jacob and an ass load of people working backstage looked at me. "I'm fucking ecstatic that I've been right from the beginning!"

I stepped around Rosalie and made my way to Jasper and Alice. They both looked a little apprehensive, but it was Alice that spoke first. Her little hand hit the middle of my chest, making me stop.

"You have every right to be upset," she said with determination. "But if you try to hit Jasper, I will be forced to deal with you myself; and I really don't want to do that, Emmett."

Rosalie, Jacob and Carlisle all laughed but she wouldn't be deterred. "I could totally do it! I did a crap load of ninja training for _Windstraightner_!"

"Listen, Doll," I shook my head at her. "I'm pissed that I'm the last one to know about this but I'm not going to hit Jasper, not today anyway, and maybe not ever if he admits that I was right about Bootgate."

"Oh," Alice said quietly. She looked back at Jasper and then at me. "What's Bootgate?"

"It's nothing," Jasper interrupted. He moved to stand next to her. "I'm sorry for not telling you, Emmett. I really am. You're one of my best friends and I shouldn't have kept this from you."

I crossed my arms across my chest and nodded my head. "Just like my brother shouldn't have either. Although I get his excuse, it wasn't his news to tell, but I don't get why the fuck you wouldn't tell me about this. It isn't like I'm going to go run to TMZ and sell your fucking story."

He shrugged lamely and looked down at Alice. "I just didn't want to…jinx it. I felt like I had to keep everything close to the vest, you know?"

I saw Rosalie scowling at me and slowly nodded my head. "Yeah," I muttered. "I know."

"So you aren't mad?" Alice asked hopefully. "Because I really want us to be friends, Emmett."

I reached down and picked up the tiny girl in front of me. Everyone gasped at my actions, but when Alice started giggling and hugging me back they calmed down. She squeezed my neck and I set her back down.

"Welcome to family, Small Fry." I said. "It's just a shame that the asshole you're now engaged to didn't have the decency to get you a ring."

A hand that I am sure was Rosalie's slapped the back of my head. I started to turn around and tell her that I liked it rough, but stopped when my brain told me that definitely wasn't a good idea. I ended up stuttering like an idiot but was saved by Jasper dropping onto one knee in front of all of us.

"I didn't plan to do this here," he whispered. "But, I've…been thinking about it for a while now."

When he pulled a little velvet bag out of his pocket, every female within a mile radius gasped. Alice's hands flew over her mouth while Bella and Rosalie grabbed onto each other's hand. It didn't escape my notice that Bella's other hand was holding onto my brother's arm. Everyone watched with rapt attention as Jasper explained the history of the ring he was giving her, which I'm guessing was supposed to be romantic, and when he slid it onto her finger, the squealing began.

"Oh my gosh!" Rosalie yelled, bouncing towards Alice. "You're officially engaged!"

There was a four-way hug between Rosalie, Bella, Esme and Alice while everyone with a dick just stared at them squealing, crying, and carrying on. Carlisle cleared his throat after a minute and looked at Jasper.

"I could use a drink," he quietly suggested.

"Me too," Jasper agreed.

"Lunch!" Alice yelled excitedly. "We should go to lunch and celebrate! We have time right? Your flight doesn't leave till…" her voice trailed off as she looked as Jasper. "You're leaving again."

He shook his head and picked her up into a massive hug. "I can stay, for you."

I looked away when the look of absolute love and devotion covered their faces. Carlisle and Esme were herding people out the back doors, talking about car arrangements and which restaurant would be best. Following behind everyone, I noticed Rosalie standing there watching Alice and Jasper. Whatever look she had on her face quickly rearranged when she noticed me looking at her.

After tossing her hair over her shoulder, she walked past me. "Are you coming?"

"Not anytime soon," I muttered under my breath and followed her out to the cars waiting for everyone.

**XxXxX**

"We'll meet you downstairs," Jasper said, holding the door open for Alice, Bella and Edward.

I nodded and continued shoving my clothes back into my suitcase. Small Fry had insisted on taking us to the airport, even though it would only mean more of a hassle for her and the rest of the celebrity entourage that would be with us. Oddly enough, Bella didn't seem to object to the idea and neither did Rosalie. So while my brother and I finished packing our shit, they had sat around our hotel room talking about shit that didn't appeal to me. Wedding speak and Emmett Cullen did not go together. Ever.

The bathroom door opened as I was zipping my bag. Looking up, I saw Rosalie glancing around the empty room and then at me. Internally I groaned at just how fan-fucking-tastic my luck had been today and threw my bag over my shoulder.

"They're downstairs," I muttered.

I moved to step around the witchy-sex-goddess in my path but stopped when her hand grabbed my arm. I told myself not to look at her, not to even acknowledge that she had touched me, but like a fucking traitor, my eyes glanced down at her.

"Last night," Rosalie whispered softly. "I didn't…"

"I'm not into these games," I interrupted. "I don't need it."

"You don't understand, Emmett. We can't…nobody can know…"

I laughed bitterly and pulled my arm away. "Don't worry Princess, I'm not looking to be known as one of your accomplishments or whatever the fuck else you had in mind."

For the second time, Rosalie shoved me up against the wall and pressed her body up against mine. I wanted to tell her to fuck off, but when she pulled my head down to meet her lips I dropped my bag on the floor and pulled her closer to me.

"I can't…" she mumbled against my lips.

"Shut the fuck up," I groaned. I felt her lips curl up in a smile against mine.

Rosalie bit my bottom lip as I grabbed the underside of her thighs and picked her up. Turning around, I pressed her up against the wall and then nearly dropped her when her legs wrapped around my waist. Woman had a fucking grip like a python.

"I meant what I said," she said breathlessly. "No one can know about this, Emmett."

I pulled my head away from her. "And I meant what I said, I don't play games."

"But," she whispered, pulling my face back to hers. "Some games can be fun."

I should have let her go and walked away. I should have told her to fuck off and just left it at that. Instead, I kissed her and let her moaning sighs fill my mouth. Rosalie Hale was my fucking kryptonite and I was royally screwed.

**[ Edward ]**

"Excuse me." A young girl stood in front of Rosalie and smiled. "Are you…you're Rosalie Hale and Bella Swan, aren't you?"

"That's us," Rosalie nodded. Bella just shifted from foot to foot, smiling slightly.

"Could I… is there anyway I could get a picture with you guys?"

Emmett and I watched as Rosalie and Bella took pictures with a couple of fans that had noticed them in the hotel lobby. None of them had made a huge ordeal out of seeing them, but you could tell that Bella wasn't really that comfortable posing for pictures. Rosalie, however, just threw an arm around their shoulders and told everyone to smile. She was the polar opposite of Bella, who just stood there barely smiling.

"I wish Jasper would hurry the fuck up. I'm getting antsy with all these damn fans around here," Emmett muttered. "How long does it take to sign for your lost luggage?"

I nodded, relived that we weren't dealing with an angry Emmett on top of everything else. He'd handled everything surprising well. The only thing that I'd really noticed was him acting jumpy around Rosalie. Hopefully that would even out once he got used to being around her, although I didn't have room to talk since I still got nervous when Bella would even look at me.

"Edward."

Smiling at the way my name sounded in her endearing British accent, I turned around to find Bella standing behind me. "Yeah?"

"Do you…would you mind if…" she sighed and pulled at the bottom of her shirt. "Can I borrow your sunglasses? I don't…like people being able to…"

I pulled the glasses out of my shirt pocket and handed them to her. "No problem."

When she slid them on her face and smiled up at me, my heart broke out into a sprint. She looked gorgeous, as always, but now that she was wearing something that was _mine_…she looked stunning.

Her smile faded nearly as quick as it had come, replaced instead with a slight frown and a few wrinkles across her forehead. I turned to look over my shoulder, wondering what she was looking at, and almost growled when I saw the photographers standing on the sidewalk. _Fucking leeches._

My body reacted naturally, which meant protecting Bella. I moved in front of her, closing the space between us and hiding her small body behind mine. My hand instinctively reached out to her and I carefully moved my fingers against hers which made her look up at me.

"It's okay," I whispered. Bella nodded slightly, lowering her head again.

God, I wanted to hug her so bad. I just wanted to hold her against my body and protect her from everything that bothered her. More than anything else, I wanted her to be happy. I wanted to see her smile and laugh like she had done at the concert. It had been so easy just to be near each other and enjoy each other's company. Even when she had kissed my cheek I'd managed to not make a complete fool of myself. Bella trusted me, and I would make damn sure that I never gave her a reason to doubt that trust.

"Are we ready?" Alice asked, looking around at Rosalie and Bella. "What's wrong?"

Rosalie nodded towards the front door where more photographers had gathered. "Someone must have Tweeted our location…_again_."

"I hate Twitter," Bella muttered.

Alice moved closer to Jasper's side. "Should we just try to go around the back?"

Rosalie shook her head. "It will take another thirty minutes to get the car around there. We should just bite the bullet and do it. The guys can help, right?"

"Hey!" Emmett called. We all looked up as he waved a bellhop over towards us. "Listen, I need these bags put in the back of that limo outside. You've got fifteen minutes before I get seriously pissed about the fact that your hotel didn't provide the necessary security for your guests. Got it?"

The poor guy scrambled away, dragging our luggage behind him.

"Gees, Emmett," Rosalie shook her head. "Could you be a little nicer?"

"Do you want my help or not?" my brother asked her. "I'm the only one here that's been trained in security maneuvers."

Jasper and I didn't bother to tell the girls that his "security maneuvers" normally involved old people with walkers and canes.

"Do what the man says, Rosalie," Bella's voice snapped. No one argued with her and we all paid attention as Emmett explained what the plan was.

"GET THE FUCK BACK!" Emmett roared at the crowd of people gathered.

Rosalie stayed in front of Bella while I walked behind her. I stayed as close to Bella as I could, keeping my hand on her back to reassure her that I was there.

"In," Emmett demanded, holding the car door open. Rosalie got inside followed by Bella.

"Ms. Brandon! Ms. Brandon!" The noise erupted as Alice and Jasper walked out of the lobby doors.

Jasper kept his arms wrapped around Alice as he moved the two of them through the crowd of photographers and fans. Once she was inside the car, Jasper got inside and Emmett and I followed. The door shut and a few seconds later we were pulling away from the hotel.

"Thanks Emmett," Alice said.

"No problem, Doll." He winked at her while Jasper rolled his eyes.

The airport was just as insane if not worse. I quietly told Bella good-bye, giving her hand a squeeze before getting out of the car. Alice got out with us, but only stood by the car long enough to give us a hug after getting our luggage out of the trunk.

"I'll see you guys in a couple of weeks when I come to visit!" She kissed Emmett's cheek and then mine. "Have a good flight!"

Emmett threw the strap of his bag over his shoulder and looked at Jasper. "So, you'll be back when?"

"I dunno," he shrugged. "I'm going to call Ross tomorrow…maybe look for a new gig around here. You know?"

Emmett nodded and playfully punched Jasper's shoulder before yelling at some photographer to get out of his way. I stood there, like an idiot, staring at my best friend. Why was this coming as a surprise to me? Obviously, if he was going to marry Alice the two of them wouldn't just share his bedroom at our apartment. He would be moving to LA…for good.

"You're leaving," I muttered stupidly. "You're leaving Washington."

Jasper's smile faltered while he nodded his head. "I've got to talk to Alice about what we will do, but..."

I nodded, pulling my bag higher up on my shoulder. "You're coming back for Emmett's graduation, right?"

"We'll be back," he promised. "And even when I do move, you guys can always visit. You know that."

"Edward!" Emmett's voice yelled from behind me. "Are you staying or going?"

I gave Jasper a quick man hug that felt entirely too uncomfortable and followed my brother into the busy airport terminal. I went through the motions, getting my boarding pass and going through security, but didn't really pay attention to what I was doing.

Don't get me wrong, I was excited for Jasper. He deserved to be happy, and if being with Alice in LA made him happy, then I would support it. But, if I was being honest with myself, I would also miss my best friend. There weren't a lot of people who _got_ me; most wouldn't take the time to get to know me and just brush me off from the beginning. But Jasper was different.

He was my first friend, real friend, beside my brother and Jenn. He didn't make fun of me, or judge the things I did; instead, he offered his support whenever he could. It scared me that the only person who wasn't related to me that really understood me was moving away. It was selfish to feel that way, but I couldn't help it. Jasper was my best friend and I would miss him…a lot.

"So," Emmett started. He shifted in his seat, accidently kneeing the back of the chair in front of him. "Damn small seats." He apologized to the guy sitting in front of him and moved his arm out of the way when the flight attendant started wheeling the beverage cart down the aisle. "What's the deal with you and Bella?"

"Nothing," I muttered, flipping through the magazine in front of me. "What's the deal with you and Rosalie?"

My brother shifted again, kneeing the seat in front of him for the second time. He muttered another apology before folding his arms across his chest. "There is no deal with me and Rosalie."

The rest of the flight to Portland, Emmett pretended to sleep while I pretended to not notice that his voice broke when he mentioned Rosalie's name. I squinted against the sun shining in through the small airplane window and couldn't help but smile because Bella Swan still had my sunglasses.

**XxXxX**

"Flight is delayed because of rain."

I nodded as Emmett sat in the chair next to me, watching the television in front of us. I didn't care about basketball or that the flight was delayed. Instead I was concentrating on the fact that Bella Swan was texting me. Half of the words were jumbled--I'm guessing because she still wasn't very good at typing on her iPhone--but her texts were funny none the less. I responded back to her, telling her that I didn't understand half of the British slang she was using, and sat the phone back in my lap. A few seconds later, my phone beeped. My heart fell when I saw that it was a call from Angela and not a response from Bella.

"Hey Ang," I answered. "Our flight--"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" she yelled into the phone. I shook my head, trying to understand why she was yelling and sounding so damn excited. "FIRST OF ALL, JASPER AND ALICE! OH MY GOD, EDWARD! HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME?"

"It, um, well…Jasper didn't want anyone to know," I answered.

"It is all over every Angel's site I can find! This is huge, you know that don't you?" she asked quickly, not giving me a chance to respond. "And don't even get me started on the fact that a picture of you and Bella will be on the cover of _Alright!_ magazine tomorrow!"

"WHAT?" I yelled into the phone. Emmett watched as I jumped to my feet and started pacing. "What picture? How do you know?"

"They Tweeted about it," Angela explained. "Apparently, you're her new 'love interest.' It's some picture of the two of you at a concert. I can't believe that you didn't call and tell me any of this! Are you and Bella dating?"

"What? No!" I yelled. "We…I went with her to the Erik Yorkie show and…"

"Well, the picture makes it look like the two of you were pretty darn close," she laughed. "Want me to send it to you?"

"Yeah," I muttered. I rubbed my forehead, trying not to get annoyed at Angela's laughter. "Send it to my phone. We'll be home later than we originally thought. I'll let you know when we find out the details."

After hanging up, I threw myself back down into the chair next to Emmett. We waited for Angela's email and once the picture popped up on the screen of my phone, my blood boiled. The message attached to the picture made me want to crush my phone.

_Here's the pic! Let me know if we can upload it to the site! See ya tonight! –Ang_

I glared at the message and picture, letting my teeth grind together. Bella's voice filled my mind, sounding so shy and vulnerable. _"I trust you, Edward." _With shaking fingers, I typed out the response to Angela.

_That picture doesn't get put on the site, ever! Neither does any of the personal information about Jasper and Alice. No updates till I get home. - Edward_

"What are you gonna do?" Emmett asked quietly.

Shaking my head, I saved the picture to my phone. "I'm going to have to close the site."

**JFI: **WHOA NOW! So much has happened in one weekend! Speaking of news, did you know that Stalking was nominated for two Giggle-Snort awards? Best Emmett and Best overall! HOW AWESOME! Voting starts Thursday, May 20th, so be sure to check it out!

**LMW:** The first time I read that Edward was going to close FallenAngels, my jaw dropped! And I write this story! Haha. Thanks for all the support and love you've shown us—please keep it coming! It really means so much to me that you're leaving reviews, recommending us to your friends, and even voting for us in FanFiction awards! Really, I am awed.


	31. Cinnamon Twist Tango

**Disclaimer: We've run out of funny stuff to say but we still don't own Twilight.**

**[ Alice ] **

Jasper's arm tightened around my side and made me look up at his face. His eyes were still closed, lips parted, seemingly still asleep. I rolled further onto my side so I could see him better. He was so ruggedly adorable with his boyish curls, sly smile and chiseled jaw…he was such a guy's guy, but at the same time had one of the gentlest souls I'd ever met. He was kind, giving and loving, and I was the luckiest woman alive because he had picked me. Resting my chin on his chest, I smiled because Jasper was perfect…and he was mine.

Before meeting him, I'd never realized that my life was missing anything. I worked, lived, sang and created…thinking that I had everything I wanted. But looking back, I realized that I was really just going through the motions. Don't get me wrong, I was blessed beyond words with my job, family, and friends, but _I_ was empty. Since meeting Jasper, I had learned to work harder, live fuller, and create more freely. Most importantly though, I learned what true love was.

Love was staying awake thinking of the way my hand fit perfectly in is. It was waking up in his hotel room, seeing him sleeping on the couch and absolutely having to be closer to him. True love was standing on a stage singing, looking out into the audience to see him smiling up at me and getting excitedly nervous because of it. It was late night phone conversations filled with silly questions that turned into silent comfort while we both fell asleep. True love was realizing that letting go didn't mean giving up. It was give and take, push and pull, love and lust. True love was realizing that even if I had the world at my fingertips, I didn't want any of it without him.

To say that I was shocked when he'd asked me to marry him was putting it lightly. I wasn't expecting it and certainly wasn't prepared for it, but when I was standing there, wrapped in his arms in front of thousands of people, I knew that there wasn't an answer I could give him except yes. I wanted to be tied to this man in every way possible. I wanted the world to know that I was his and he was mine. I wanted forever and Jasper was giving it to me.

We'd spent the afternoon celebrating with our friends that were more like family. I enjoyed spending time with Edward and Emmett, especially when I realized that Emmett wasn't mad. I laughed at stories of Jasper, loving the way he would blush from embarrassment and finding it silly that he would be embarrassed to begin with. It had been a great day, paparazzi be damned; but if I was being honest, I wanted nothing more than to be alone with my future husband.

The second the door to our room closed, I pounced. Looking back I probably should have taken my time, savoring the feeling of being so adored and loved by him, but I didn't. Jasper patiently tried to slow me down, whispering promises of things to come, but it didn't do anything but spur me on. The feeling of his mouth on my neck, his groaning tickling my skin, led to me begging for him to just take me. Jasper's manners normally overruled every other reaction he had, which led to him being a complete gentleman, but thankfully my persistent pleas won out. I was pretty sure that I would have a doorknob-shaped bruise on my back, and maybe a few on the underside of my thighs from Jasper's fingers, but they were completely worth it. Plus, it wasn't like we hadn't taken our time afterwards. It had been an evening filled with gentle touches, soft lips, whispered promises and most importantly—just the two of us.

Jasper mumbled something in his sleep but didn't wake up. I giggled quietly before sitting up and gently resting my hand on his bare chest. The small diamonds in the ring that sat on my left hand sparkled from the dim light coming from the bathroom. I couldn't help but stare at it, thinking of the history that it had and how much it meant to Jasper's family. It made me honored and slightly scared that his family trusted me enough with their most valuable family heirloom and only son. Both were treasures that were irreplaceable, and now they were both mine. I slid back down into the bed, resting my head on my soul mate's chest and waited for his heartbeat to lull me to sleep.

**XxXxX**

"A date?"

Jasper nodded, leaning over the bed to kiss the top of my head.

"A real date?" I clarified.

He laughed before sitting down next to me. "Yes, Alice, a real date. We've never really been on one."

I started to argue with him but then realized he was right. Since meeting, most of our time together had been spent in hotel rooms ordering room service and watching crappy television. Up until yesterday, only a handful of people had known about our relationship. Now the whole world knew.

It was a liberating relief that we didn't have to hide our love anymore. There were no more secrets being kept from friends and family, which made me happy. But now millions of people knew intimate details of my life and that made me nervous.

My parents had known Jasper was going to ask me to marry him, since he had been a good Southern gentleman and asked for my father and brothers' blessings, but both of our families had found out that he had _actually_ asked me by watching TV. Video footage of the whole thing had been repeatedly playing on E! News as well as smaller segments on CNN and Fox. My dad told me that the local news had done a fifteen minute segment during the ten o'clock news, speculating about the chances of us getting married in my old hometown. It didn't seem normal that my engagement was a more important news piece than world hunger, the war in Iraq, or the country's recession. I wouldn't ever understand the fascination people had with celebrity gossip.

"Hey, come back to me," Jasper said softly. I blinked slowly, coming out of the daze I had been in. His finger ran under my chin, turning my face to look at him. "We don't have to go if you don't want to."

"No." I shook my head quickly. "It isn't that. I was just thinking about how much has changed since yesterday. We don't have to hide anymore."

Jasper smiled before leaning forward and placing a small kiss on my lips. "No more hiding."

A short time later I was sitting in the passenger seat of a rental car, watching as Jasper tried to figure out where we were going. It made me laugh that like a typical man, he refused to ask for directions or even use the GPS system in the car. It was fun though, getting lost and driving around San Diego, doing nothing but laughing when we passed the same blue house four times. When we finally got to the restaurant Jasper had picked, my stomach and cheek muscles hurt from laughing.

"Is this okay?" he asked as we pulled into the valet parking area. "I was told they have excellent desserts."

I opened my mouth to say something but he quickly cut me off.

"And you can tell Rosalie Hale that if she has a problem with you eating cheesecake then she can take it up with me."

I smiled at his joke before answering his original question. "I would have been happy with Taco Bell but this is nice. Thank you."

Jasper leaned over and kissed me before getting out of the car and handing the keys to the valet attendant. I sighed and looked up at the building in front of us. I didn't want to tell him, but I'd been here several times before. They did have really good cheesecake, if you were willing to pay fifteen bucks a slice for it, but honestly this place was a little snooty for me.

I took Jasper's hand as he helped me out of the car and ignored the look of recognition from the few people waiting for their vehicles. It wasn't like the employees weren't used to celebrities eating there; hell, they had a picture of our entire cast hanging in the manger's office, but their patrons always seemed a little shocked when they saw someone "famous."

"Miss Alice!" Phillip, the manager, cried once we'd walked into the lobby. "What a pleasant surprise! We didn't know you would be coming by!"

I smiled awkwardly, avoiding Jasper's eyes as Phillip kissed my cheek. "I didn't know that we were coming. My boyfr- I mean, my fiancé-is taking me on a surprise date. Jasper this is Phillip, the general manager."

Phillip's eyes widened as did the hostess' next to him. Their mouths sort of fell open while they looked back and forth between the two of us.

"Jasper Whitlock," he introduced himself and held his hand out. "Nice to meet you."

"My pleasure, sir," Phillip said politely.

I wasn't sure that he meant it but they shook hands anyway.

"Engaged? What a wonderful surprise, Miss Alice."

I held on to Jasper's arm and smiled at Phillip, not willing to give up any more information about the situation. I settled with a polite thank you instead.

Phillip straightened his tie and looked down at the seating chart on the podium next to him. "Well, like I said, we weren't expecting you, but I am sure we can get a table together."

"I made reservations." Jasper's voice was low. I didn't have to look up at his face to know his blue eyes were clouded by annoyance.

Phillip nodded quickly while his hands fluttered over the seating chart. I knew he was changing Jasper's reservations from a crappy little table in the back to a nicer one that the restaurant normally reserved for more popular guests. "Oh yes, Mr. Whitlock, table for two." He smiled and motioned towards the hostess. "Nettie will show you to your table."

"Thank you," I said politely. Jasper's hand sat on the small of my back, guiding me through the restaurant. I wasn't sure if it was merely his manners or if it was also an act of possession but either way, I didn't mind. Once we reached our table, he helped me into my chair before taking his own next to me.

My hands smoothed the napkin in my lap before I looked up at him. To anyone else, it might have seemed like nothing was wrong, but I could see the small signs that said different. His jaw was set and his eyes slightly narrowed as he read the menu in front of him.

I sighed before reaching under the table and placing my hand on his knee. "Jasper," I whispered. "Please don't be upset."

We were interrupted by the waiter coming to get our drink orders while dropping off a complimentary bottle of champagne. I quietly thanked him before looking back at Jasper.

"I'm not upset with you," he answered softly. "Just that pretentious jackas-"

Smiling at his near cussword slip, I moved my chair closer to him and watched as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"We never…" he shook his head before opening his eyes and looking at me. "I wanted tonight to be perfect for you."

"Silly Jasper," I playfully whispered. "Anytime I'm with you is perfect. It didn't have to be a five star restaurant or-"

"But this is your life," he quietly interrupted me. His hand motioned around the restaurant. "You deserve the best, Alice. I don't want you to settle for something just because I'm not socially accepted or because my bank acco-"

Ignoring the fact that we were in a crowded restaurant, I covered his mouth with my hand to keep him from continuing. His eyes widened as he looked down at me.

"Number one, this isn't my life. My life is with you whether it's at an In-and-Out or here!" I whispered angrily. "Number two, don't sit there and tell me that you aren't accepted in places like this! Fuck what these people think about you!"

Nearly everyone in that restaurant was watching us but I ignored their staring eyes.

"And number three, I love _you_, Jasper. I love your messy hair, silly boots and lazy grin! So don't tell me that you think I'm settling because there isn't anything better for me than you!" I let go of his mouth and huffed, pushing the menu away from me. "And for the record, I hate the food here," I muttered under my breath.

The room got quiet except for a few whispered conversations from the people watching us. I stared at the table cloth, ignoring the rudeness of the people around me until there was a loud crashing sound next to me. I looked up as Jasper pushed his chair away from the table, letting it fall backwards to the floor. He held his hand out for mine.

"Wanna get out of here?" he quietly asked.

I nodded, loving that his sparkling blue eyes were back. He pulled me up out of my chair and the two of us walked through the dozens of staring eyes that followed us.

"Miss Alice, is everything okay?" Phillip hurriedly asked. He walked next to me, trying to stop us before we reached the front door.

"The lady wants Taco Bell," Jasper answered. He pushed the door open for me and looked over his shoulder as we walked outside. "And you don't need a fucking reservation to get in there."

I couldn't stop my obnoxiously loud giggle as the door shut on Phillip's stunned face.

**xXxXx**

"Are those as good as the twenty dollar cheesecake?" Jasper asked me.

I made a scene of devouring the cinnamon twist in my hand and then licking the remaining crumbs off of my fingers. He smiled while watching me. After swallowing, I leaned back against the car's windshield and nodded. "Best ninety-nine cents ever spent!"

We laughed and joked our way through dinner, which consisted of cheap burritos and flat sodas that were spread out in a makeshift picnic on the hood of Jasper's rental car. We'd found a secluded bluff that looked out at the ocean below us, providing a great view. It was windy, and my hair was flying all over the place but it was the best date I'd ever been on.

After eating, we laid together against the windshield watching the sun set and listening to the squawking seagulls. We were both quiet, lost in whatever ideas were floating through our minds. When Jasper sighed, I turned my head to look at him.

"I'm scared that I won't be enough for you," he quietly admitted.

"That's funny," I whispered softly. He turned to look at me, confusion covering his face. I gently kissed the corner of his mouth. "I 'm scared of the same thing."

The awkward brick wall that had been building between us since the restaurant fiasco disintegrated in a matter of seconds as we both realized that our fears were the same. Would we be good enough for each other? Could we love enough? Did we have what it took to make this work? The answer was yes, always yes, forever yes.

I wasn't naïve enough to think that marriage would be easy; I knew it took a lot of work from both people to make it successful. My mother had always told me that marriage was like a three legged stool. One leg was God, the other money, and the last sex. If all three legs didn't balance together then the stool wouldn't stand. Jasper and I both had the same views about God, knowing it was more about your own personal relationship with Him than being overly religious. Sex wasn't a problem at all; I knew that for a fact. But the last leg, money, had always been a sensitive subject between us.

My expectations for my relationship with Jasper hadn't ever included material objects. There wasn't a lot that I needed and honestly not a lot that I wanted. I knew that Jasper didn't see me as _that_ type of girl, but tonight's ordeal at the restaurant made me feel like he didn't see himself as someone I deserved. I didn't need fancy dates that included a two hundred dollar dinner tab. I didn't want expensive clothes and jewelry. I needed someone to love me for me. I wanted someone to see past the celebrity status that I had and actually see me. And Jasper did. But sometimes I wondered if his vision got a little blurry when it came down to money.

I knew I had to say something because if I didn't, it would just eat away at me and Jasper would know something was wrong. So, biting the proverbial bullet, I sat up and turned to look at him. He played with my fingers as his eyes stared out at the ocean in front of us.

"Jasper." I squeezed his hand when he looked up at me. "I want to talk to you about… something."

His eyebrows closed together but he remained silent for me to finish.

"I have three checking accounts. There is one for the band," I explained. "I don't take a paycheck from the band because I honestly don't need it."

"Okay." Jasper slowly nodded.

"On occasion I put some of my personal money into the account, just in case we need it."

"Alice, I don't-"

I gently placed my fingers against his lips. "Please, let me finish."

He nodded and I continued to awkwardly explain my financial details. I didn't want it to come across that I was bragging, because I certainly wasn't, but I needed to be honest with him. When I told him how much was in my personal account, Jasper's eyes widened but he remained silent.

"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable because I have money. I'm the same person I was before I had it and if it all disappeared tomorrow, it wouldn't change me."

"I know that," Jasper said, sitting up. "The money isn't an issue for me."

Leaning my head to the side, I smiled. "Liar."

Jasper laughed quietly.

"It's like with the plane tickets, Jasper. I wanted to pay for them because I knew you couldn't really afford to fly back and forth all the time but you fought me tooth and toenail over it."

"Yeah, because I'm-"

"Prideful," I finished his sentence. He narrowed his eyes playfully.

"I'm not used to people spending that kind of money on me. A new shirt and concert tickets? Sure. Thousands of dollars in airfare and hotel rooms? That is a totally different story, Alice."

"Well you need to get used to it because once we're married what's mine is yours and vice versa."

"You can have whatever you want of mine," Jasper said quietly. I smiled when he pulled me onto his lap. "But, I'm not going to be a free loader living off of your money. I was raised better." His fingers wove between mine and I nodded in understanding. "I'm just going to have to find a job."

"So, you want to move to LA?" I asked quietly.

"Your work is there. The band is there." Jasper shrugged. "It's the only place that makes sense. If we lived in Washington or Texas, you would have to travel back and forth all the time."

"If we live in LA then you'll be leaving behind an entire life," I whispered sadly. My heart broke a little for Edward and Emmett.

"No." Jasper shook his head. "I'll be starting a whole new life, with you."

I smiled when he kissed the top of my head. He leaned back against the windshield, letting me lie on top of him as a comfortable silence fell between us. It didn't last but a few minutes though.

His chest shook underneath me with concealed laughter, making me sit up and look down at him. "What's so funny?"

"I have one condition about moving to LA." Jasper's voice shook with laughter.

"What's that?" I took the bait and asked.

He pulled me back down to him, kissing my forehead, nose and then lips. "We aren't living in the monkey house."

I smiled before wrapping my arms around his neck. "No," I giggled. "No monkey house."

**xXxXxX**

**[ Jasper ]**

After we dropped Edward and Emmett off at the airport, I noticed Alice seemed a bit sad. I tucked her under my arm and pulled her close to me. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "I'm just so glad everything worked out, you know? Emmett didn't go crazy and overall, I'd say everything went well. I'm just gonna miss them..."

"You'll see them soon-Emmett's graduation is in a few weeks and I know he'll be excited to show you around Olympia."

She raised an eyebrow at me. "And you're not going to show me a good time?"

I smirked. "Well, I will, but I don't think it'll be the same good time that Emmett's going to show you."

She punched me in my chest and I pretended to be hurt. "Jasper Whitlock you are a perv."

"Oh, but you like it sooooo much" I teased.

"Hello? We're still in this car," Rosalie groaned. I looked over at her and Bella and laughed. Bella had a look of concentration on her face and was punching away on her cell phone, while Rosalie was rolling her eyes at me. "Gross," she muttered quietly to herself.

"Wow, someone's grouchy-did you have a tough weekend?" Alice asked her using a baby tone of voice. Rosalie responded with a middle finger in our direction and we both laughed.

A silence fell over the car and I suddenly realized how much everything was going to change. Edward was right-I'd be leaving Olympia and moving to California, marrying the girl of my dreams, and starting over. And as much as I was excited about that, I was also sad. Edward and Emmett had been my family, _my brothers_, and as pansy as it sounded, I was really going to miss the shit out of them. Even Emmett.

The ride back to the hotel was quick, and I was thankful for that. Esme had called and asked to meet with the girls, and security had been out front to bring them, well, us, inside safely. Now that the news was out about Alice and me, camera lights and questions were being thrown at me left and right.

_"Sir, sir! Tell us how long you've been seeing Alice Brandon!"_

_"How did you and Alice escape the press?"_

_"Will there be a wedding in California soon? Is Alice pregnant?"_

_"Is Alice a monkey in bed?"_

I turned around with a shocked look on my face, searching the sea of cameras for the voice that had asked about Alice's sex life. I was about ready to dive over the reporters in the front and tackle that bastard when I felt a hand on my back. I turned to find one of the security guards shaking his head at me.

"Not worth it," he muttered as he guided me inside and up to the secret elevator. The girls had already taken the one before, so we waited patiently for the next. I took a deep breath and pushed my hair off my face, staring at the tiny numbers above the elevator door. When the doors open we stepped in, leaving space between us. "You'll get used to it-the assholes; they'll say anything to get your attention, get a reaction out of you."

I nodded as I rode up to the floor of Alice's room. On my way down the hallway I heard someone call my name and I turned and smiled, seeing Carlisle poking his head out of a door. He waved me over to him and I turned around to make sure he wasn't gesturing to someone else. I heard him laugh as I walked over.

"Jasper, come in for a second," he said as he opened the door. I slipped in and looked around the room. It was nice and tidy, unlike Alice's room, or even Bella's room. There were no take-out bags or random clothes scattered around the floor-everything was in its place. "Scotch?" he asked, holding up a small rock glass.

I shook my head no and he shrugged and took a sip. "Sometimes it takes the edge off the paparazzi. You think I'd be used to it by now, but really it's just gotten worse. I feel bad for the girls sometimes," he said sadly.

"Well, they've got great role models like you and Esme to look up to," I offered.

He nodded. "Listen, Jasper, there's some things I'd like to sit down and talk with you about."

My stomach dropped like I'd just taken a plunge on a rollercoaster. I thought the room started to spin and I felt way too queasy. I mentally went across the checklist in my head. _Ask Alice's parents for permission, tell my parents, get the ring, ask Alice..._

Carlisle let out a loud, deep laugh. "Oh, Jasper, your face is priceless! Of course I want to talk to you about Alice! She's like a daughter to me-her, Rosalie, and Bella! But I have to go to a phone conference right now. Can we chat later? I think it'd be good for us guys to "bond" and stuff," he said with a wink.

I wanted to growl. He knew exactly what he was doing-putting the fear of God in me. "Sure," I tried to say as calmly as I could.

"I'll be free later tomorrow night so whenever you and Alice aren't having dinner or something, come over."

I nodded as we walked back toward the door. I stopped before turning the handle and turned to face him. "You're trying to make me nervous, aren't you?"

He had a glimmer in his eyes. "What? Of course not," he added with another wink before we walked out into the hall. He took off in the opposite direction with a wave and I quickly rushed to Alice's room. I swiped the keycard she gave me and opened the door, shutting it quickly and leaning against it with a huge sigh. Alice was still with the girls, so I had a moment to get myself together. And by 'get myself together' I meant lay on the couch and watch old television re-runs. Halfway through an old black and white movie, I sat up, pulling my phone out of my pocket. I quickly looked up the information I needed and placed a very important phone call. I shut off the television and stripped down, jumping into the shower. I needed to be at my absolute best.

Tomorrow, I was going to take Alice Brandon on a date she would never forget.

An unforgettable date it was. What, with me making a fool out of myself at a swanky restaurant, to bringing up finances over a romantic bag of Cinnamon Twists...could I fuck things up any worse?

I spoke too soon. As soon as we got back to the hotel, I remembered that I was supposed to have a talk with Carlisle. I ran my hand through my hair before looking over at Alice.

"What?" she asked as she stared at me with her hands on her hips.

"I'm supposed to stop by and talk with Carlisle."

"Is everything okay?"

I nodded. "Yea, everything's great. I just...I think he wants to bond, or something."

Alice tried to stifle a giggle before closing the distance between us and grabbing my hand, her tiny fingers exploring mine. "I think that's great." She looked up with a huge grin on her face.

"Yeah? Because I'm scared shitless," I admitted.

Her beautiful eyes rolled as she shook her head. "Really, Jasper? You proposed to me in front of tons of crazed fans, but you're scared of Carlisle?"

I thought about it for a moment. "Yep."

She gave me a shove towards the door. "Go do your manly bonding thing."

I saluted her jokingly and she stuck her tongue out. "Nice, Alice. Real mature."

She turned and headed for the bathroom as I stepped out of the room. Walking the short way down to Carlisle's room felt like I was about to walk the plank. I knocked on his door and waited what felt like an hour before he came to the door and smiled.

"Jasper! What a pleasant surprise!"

I nodded as he let me in, moving aside for me. He sat down on one of the couches and I sat at the one opposite him.

"Did you have a nice evening?"

"Yes-it was nice to just go out and spend time with Alice."

He nodded and was quiet for a while. I picked at the edge of my shirt, rubbing it in between my fingers and trying to remain calm. He cleared his throat and I looked up at him.

"Okay, this is the talk where I threaten that if you hurt Alice in any way, I will cut off your balls."

I looked at him, waiting for him to laugh or crack a smile, but nothing came.

"When I first met Alice she was so young and full of life. Of course, she's still the same Alice, but I wanted you to know how I feel about her. I've been with the girls for over three years now, and they've really become extraordinary women. They are all so talented, and not just in acting. Hollywood is a tough place to be, and since I've been around the block or two, I really took them under my wing with the first _CA_ movie. They are like daughters to me, Jasper. Their parents aren't here with them so I've taken the role of their father figure, and Esme has been a wonderful mother-like person to them as well. So you can see where I would be very protective of Alice."

I nodded. "Yes, sir," I slipped out nervously. My hands were sweating double time and I felt dizzy.

"But ever since VanCon, Alice has slowly become a different person. She's become more open and optimistic, and she's really matured in the way she handles herself and the choices that she's making. I've seen her really grow up and her career has gotten so much stronger for it. Because she's happy, Jasper. And you make her that way. You encourage her and support her in ways she never knew she needed support. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for her. I know it hasn't been easy on you, or her, and you've made a lot of sacrifices. But I'm hoping now that everything is out in the open you can just enjoy being together. I know you'll protect her, and that your friends will, too. But I am telling you right now, Jasper Whitlock, that I am Italian and I still have family in high places...if you ever hurt her..." he snapped his fingers, "just like that, you're out of here."

I gulped.

He stood up and walked past me, clapping his hand on my shoulder. "I'm glad we had this talk. I feel much better already!"

I nodded and faked a smile. "Definitely."

"Now if you'll excuse me, it's getting late and I have a few things I need to finish before bed."

I stood up and nodded again. "Of course. Goodnight, Carlisle." I slowly walked to the door and let myself out, high tailing it back to mine and Alice's room. When I got inside I let out the long breath that I'd been holding and Alice looked at me curiously.

"How'd it go?" she asked.

I trudged over to the couch next to her and collapsed. "Let's just say that it was a very enlightening conversation."

"Did he threaten you too bad?" she whispered as her tiny nails ran through my hair.

"I can see Carlisle and my dad being great friends-they are both protective over their daughters."

Alice sighed happily and snuggled into my side. I tucked my arm around her and stuck my nose in her hair, inhaling her calming and familiar scent.

"I love you," I whispered softly, "and I'm going to spend the rest of my life making sure you have everything you need."

She let out one soft giggle before nuzzling against my chest. "Okay, Jasper. Well, I want a pony and a cotton candy machine for our new place."

I shook my head as I tried to hold back a laugh. "Alright, baby, I'm willing to compromise on a pet, but you do _not_ need a cotton candy machine."

"Party pooper," she whined as she hugged me tightly.

A grin fell over my face as I realized that this was how the rest of our lives were going to be…together.

**xXxXxXx**

**JFI: **Fear not my Edward and Emmett friends. Their POV is coming up. Thanks for all of the votes in the GiggleSnort awards!

**LMW:** hello fanficers! Thanks for the continued support and all the recommendations!


	32. A Stalker's Guide: I Want My MTV!

**Disclaimer: After a super awesome Stalkette gives Kellan a copy of Stalking, he will own us. We, however, will still not own Twilight.**

[ Jasper ]

I stepped out of the shower and pulled the towel off my head. The sight before me almost had me screaming like a girl from a horror movie. A garbled noise came from my throat and there was a tapping at the bathroom door.

"Jasper?"

"Oh my God," I muttered to myself as I picked at the now short and very brown hairs on my head. _How could I have let her do this to me?_

"Jasper, it's awful quiet in there now—did you pass out? Because I'm gonna come in there. And if you're naked, well, that's just something I don't want to see…"

The door handle jiggled and my eyes jumped over to it. "Rosalie…my hair," I whined. I tucked a towel around my waist and opened the door. As soon as the steam cleared the room, both our jaws fell into an 'o' shape.

"We match!" she said excitedly as she fluffed her now dark brown hair. She saw my look of concern and smacked me playfully on the arm. "Oh, come on, it won't look as dark when it's dry."

I gave her the death glare and walked into the room. She had an outfit laid out for me that didn't look too terrible. The day before we'd gone shopping for my "look" and all the outfits she picked made me look ridiculous. The dark pants and plain t-shirt seemed like something I could pull off comfortably.

"Go ahead and get dressed and then I'm going to do your hair," Rosalie said excitedly as she skipped out of the room.

I exhaled and began to get dressed. Out of habit I went to run my hand through my hair, but frowned when my fingers touched my new do.

Rosalie came in a few minutes later and made me spin in a circle. She was grinning as we went into the bathroom and she dried and styled my hair into an Elvis retro look.

"This looks great, but it just needs one more thing," she said as I sat on the bed and slipped on my shoes.

"What else could it need?" I asked to myself.

She came back in with a few necklaces and held them up.

"Oh, um, the one on the left," I said.

"Wear them both," she said as she tossed them on the bed next to me.

Once I was finished I stood up and let her study me for another minute. "You clean up good, cousin!" she teased. "But I have one more surprise for you. I had it sent over this morning after I had a dream and I think it will be the icing on the cake!"

I was nervous. I trusted Rosalie and all, but she had her own stylist, and her personal style choices didn't always land her on the best-dressed lists.

She went to the closet and pulled out a garment bag, ripping the white plastic off. What was left hanging on the hanger frightened me.

"Isn't it great? I was speechless when I saw it, too!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, yeah, it's…definitely something…" I muttered.

Her smile turned to a frown. "You hate it, don't you? Just forget it," she said, shoving it back into the closet. I heard her sniffle and I felt myself going to mush.

"Rosalie, no, it's nice, it's just—I'm not sure if it's really me, you know?"

"That's the whole point!" she huffed.

I grabbed the electric blue colored silk tuxedo jacket and slipped it on, buttoning it. The hot pink lining peeked out as I stuffed my hand in one of the pockets. "It's not that bad once you get it on," I said, hoping that this would cheer her up. These girls had me whipped.

She wiped at her nose and nodded, a meek smile on her face. "See, you look so great."

I nodded and walked over to her, giving her a tight hug. "Thank you," I whispered before kissing her cheek.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Alice said. We turned to find her leaning against the doorframe.

Rosalie laughed at her. "May I present to you, the new Jasper Whitlock!"

I did a spin and Alice clapped excitedly, coming over to me and pulling on my lapels for a kiss.

"You look great," I said to her, "that is one beautiful dress."

Her cheeks pinked a bit and she took a step back. "Look at you! Your jacket, your hair! Rosalie Hale what have you done with my man?"

"Just tweaked a few things that didn't need tweaking," she joked.

A knock on the door signaled us that it was time to go. Alice tucked her arm in mine and we walked out to the car, bodyguards in tail. "Emmett would love a job like this," I whispered to her and she giggled.

"He'd be so good at it, too. Even though he's really a teddy bear; he's so gigantic no one would mess with him! With his bigness and my ninja skills we'd be quite the pair to mess with!"

Rosalie huffed a little and climbed into the limo, scooting next to Bella who was already inside. I couldn't help but notice her eagerness to start drinking as soon as we got in and chalked it up to nerves.

I started getting nervous myself as we pulled up to the red carpet. This was the first time anything this big had ever happened to me. I was sure it wouldn't be too big of a deal because I wasn't a celebrity, but I knew tons of questions were going to be asked about Alice and mine's engagement. I hoped it wasn't going to turn into a freak show or that I was going to get egged from the sidelines.

I opened my phone and sent Edward a quick text before hopping out of the limo. I wanted to make sure he was watching for Bella. He sent me a "good luck" response and I helped Alice out.

Screams erupted everywhere. It was like we were at the Super Bowl and the game just ended. I wanted to clamp my hands over my ears but I knew it would look bad on my part. I glanced back at the girls and Rosalie was hamming it up, walking straight over to the fans with the big poster board signs declaring their love for her.

Bella seemed to be shrinking into herself, trying not to be noticed. But that would be nearly impossible, seeing as she was one of the top most-wanted celebrities in the world right now. Rosalie called Bella's name and waved her over to the fans; she took a few small steps and began nodding and smiling, signing a few pictures that were thrust in her face.

"Come on, Jasper, I want to talk to Ryan Seacrest!" Alice whispered excitedly. She all but dragged me forward as the crowd started calling—_my_ name?

Esme tugged on my elbow and stopped us. "Jasper, they'd like some pictures of you in your outfit over there," she said, pointing to an Mtv backdrop with a giant X on the ground. I turned to Alice and she smiled, waving me on.

"Go ahead, it'll be fun. Tell them Rosalie was your stylist and I'm gonna go gush about my ring!" she giggled as she wiggled her engagement ring at me.

I winked at her as Esme led me over to the spot. She leaned in to my ear before speaking.

"Just relax—you're Mr. Alice Brandon," she joked.

She stepped back as I laughed and smiled while the cameras flashed. It was almost blinding and I wondered how the girls did this all the time without sunglasses. Some questions were directed at me, but it was too chaotic for me to figure out what to do. I looked over desperately at Esme and she waved me over.

"Don't worry, Jasper, we'll get you up to speed in no time," she reassured.

I nodded as we walked over to Alice, who was talking with one of the reporters. She smiled when she saw me and quickly called me over.

"This is my man," she said dreamily to the reporter.

"Oh, you're the man that all men love to hate," he joked.

I just shrugged as the interview continued. I was in awe of how comfortable Alice was and how she was able to tune out all the loud noises in the background. I wanted to crawl into the fetal position and rock myself on the carpet. She was incredible.

Esme ran off to go assist Bella, seeing that we had things under control, and we moved to another reporter. He kept gushing over Alice's outfit and how excited he was to see the clip of _Shadows_ that was being shown tonight. I couldn't decide if he was genuine or not, but was shocked when he started asking me questions as well.

"And Jasper, everyone is dying to know all about you. Did you pick this outfit out yourself?"

"Ah, no, Rosalie gave me a few pointers and tips. Is it working for me?" I flashed the hot pink silk lining of the jacket and Alice giggled.

"Oh, definitely—the vintage retro look is making its way back on the fashion list. She chose well. Now, I hear back at home you're a radio personality?"

I almost balked. How did the press know so much about me already? I was shocked to feel concerned, and I started worrying about the safety of Emmett and Edward. "That would be correct."

"Well, I'd love to give you the opportunity to be a special celebrity host for us this evening. Would you be interested?"

I was about to refuse before Alice spoke up. "Of course he is, he's fantastic! So smart and funny!"

I laughed. "Well, I guess that says it all doesn't it?"

He handed me a microphone and told me to 'have at it' while he stepped behind the camera and chatted with Alice.

I looked around momentarily like a deer caught in the headlights until I saw my opportunity. I waved the camera man away from his spot and over to the crowd of fans. They started screaming as I got closer and I gave them the Whitlock-family grin.

Cue mass hysteria.

"Hey there, how are y'all doing tonight? Who's excited to see the stars of _Twinkle?_"

All the girls screamed, and I'm sure a few started to cry. This _Twinkle_ phenomenon had rivaled the _CA_ series and was out of this world. The lead in the movie, a guy who shiftily looked a lot like Edward sometimes, was another British actor who has recently made his claim to fame in the industry. He and Bella apparently grew up in towns close to each other and had rubbed elbows a few times. I hoped he didn't walk by me, because I might have to stick my size 12 boot out and trip him…for Edward's sake.

"And how about the gorgeous ladies from _Carlisle's Angels_?"

One girl started a bloodcurdling scream and I covered my ears and laughed. "Alright I will take that as a yes!"

My jaw almost dropped as a flash of red and white whizzed by me. I turned and cupped my hands to my mouth. "Waldo!"

A man dressed up in a complete _Where's Waldo_ costume turned and walked back over to me. Turns out it was actually a comedian dressed up for an upcoming role, and we chatted some, talking about his stand-up tour and his plans for an upcoming show on Comedy Central. We took a picture together because honestly, how could I not? I found Waldo!

I interviewed a few other upcoming actors and gave the microphone back to the reporter. He thanked me, saying I was a natural, and handed me a business card. Perhaps finding a job in LA wasn't going to be as difficult as I thought.

Alice gave me a hug and a smile as we walked hand in hand into the auditorium.

"Jasper, if I haven't told you lately, I love you."

I kissed her cheek and tickled her ear. "You have, but that's okay. Good luck tonight, baby, although you're not gonna need it."

C-C-C-C-

**[ Emmett ]**

"Fuck this Jersey Shore crap!" I yelled at the TV screen. "I mean, really, how the hell do you not know what a fried pickle is?"

Angela snorted into her glass while Edward just raised the volume on the TV. "Jasper said they're about to be on the red carpet."

I leaned back in my recliner and drummed my fingers against the arm of the chair. I wasn't jealous of Jasper—okay, maybe I was a little—but it was still so freaking _weird_ that he was at the MTV Movie Awards. My best friend, a dude who I had seen get so damn drunk that he single handedly tried to knock over a port-o-potty, would be attending movie premieres and God knows what else from now on. The guy who literally owned more plaid pearl snap shirts than a fucking Wal-Mart was going to be traipsing across the globe with a fucking movie star. How the fuck did this happen?

"It's Jasper!" Angela yelled.

Looking at the TV I couldn't help but laugh my ass off, literally. There he was in all of his fucking glory in a silk turquoise jacket, looking like some generic Vegas version of Elvis. Even his hair was dyed brown. "What the fuck is he wearing?"

Edward threw a pillow from the couch at me but I just kept laughing.

"Alice looks nice," my brother commented.

I shook my head. "Well how could she not! It isn't hard to look better than the fucking King of Rock-n-Roll right there." Angela laughed while Edward scowled at me.

"Do you think he picked that out himself?" she asked.

"I sure as hell hope not. If he did-" I started but couldn't stop my sentence.

Could this get any more random? I stared at the screen and watched as Jasper took over the interview and started asking some kid dressed as fucking Waldo questions! WALDO! Forget surreal. We were now into a full-fledged alternate universe with this shit.

"What celebrities are you most excited to meet tonight?" Jasper asked the Waldo clown.

He laughed like an idiot as his eyes swept up and down the red carpet around them. "I dunno, but Rosalie Hale is looking pretty hot tonight."

The camera moved off of Waldo and Jasper and focused on the two women standing behind them. Alice was laughing while Rosalie just smiled and waved at the douche bag in the costume. I ground my teeth together and glared at the TV screen. Sure, she could flirt it up with a fictional character on national television but couldn't even acknowledge me in public! How fucking awesome.

"She dyed her hair!" Angela squealed. "Oh my God! Rosalie Hale isn't a blonde anymore!"

Huh. I hadn't even noticed that. I'd been too focused on her hand holding onto Waldo's arm to pay attention to anything else. She really did look nice, even if she drove me up the fucking wall. I stared at her lips, remembering how they had tasted. I admired her legs, remembering how they had felt wrapped around me. When she started laughing I had to close my eyes and try to concentrate on something else. Fat lot of fucking good that did me because the second my eyes shut all I could picture was Rosalie up against the wall with her fingers tangled in my hair and my hands gripping her ass. I dug my fingers into the arm of my chair and groaned. This woman was going to be the fucking death of me.

I sat there for two damn hours and watched as Bella Swan accepted award after award while Edward basically had a fucking coronary every time she showed up on the TV screen. I tried not act disgruntled about the fact that they hardly showed anyone else from the _CA_ cast but I got a little pissed when they won for Movie of the Year and they _still_ didn't show Rosalie on the stage. I mean Bella was alright and everything but what the fuck? Other people were in that movie, too.

Overall, the highlight of my evening was the fact that Jasper was dressed like a damn highlighter. I sent him a quick text message to congratulate him on looking like a douche and then left Edward and Angela to go sulk in my bedroom.

Since San Diego, I had tried really, _really_ fucking hard to not think about what had happened with Rosalie. I didn't want to cheapen the memory of what had happened by throwing it into the spank bank with the rest of the filthy images I'd conjured up. That led to a fucking ridiculous decision for self-love celibacy. There had been a fuck load of cold showers and I hadn't read hardly any of my fanfic updates because I knew it would lead to me whacking off. But the longer I put this shit off, the harder it was. Pun intended.

So I stared at my ceiling, arms folded under my head, and tried to think of anything but her. I thought about all of the shit I had to get ready before graduation. I thought about the job interview that I had later in the week. Hell, I even thought about all of the fucking cleaning that Edward had been making me do in preparation for Alice's visit. My eyes started sagging and I felt my body slowly start to fall asleep. I figured that I had once again won the battle against whacking off and sighed. I let my mind shut down as I fell asleep, but was jolted back awake when my phone started vibrating. I groaned and looked at the alarm clock before snatching my phone off the bedside table.

"Who the fuck is texting me so late?" I grumbled. My eyes tried to focus as I opened the message and then squinted when I saw what was written there.

"_Im drunk 9mmer. Your lips raste like candy. I luvv candy and ur lipz."_

"What the fuck?" I scrolled to the top of the message and stared at the number that had sent me the message. Once I saw it, my mouth fell open.

Rosalie-fucking-Hale had just drunk texted me. Not only that, but she had drunk texted me about our kissing. She said that she fucking loved my lips! She said they tasted like candy! With my heart pounding, I saved the message in my phone and replied back to her.

Our texting continued back and forth for over an hour. I had my phone sitting on my chest and was waiting for her to respond back to me. However, when my phone rang instead of vibrating, I nearly fell out of the bed.

I quickly answered it. "Hello?"

"Emmett," Rosalie breathed into the phone.

God she sounded so fucking hot. I bit my lip and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm the hell down. "Where are you?" I fucking prayed that she wasn't wandering around LA drunk as hell.

"In my bed," she whispered. My dick twitched.

"Rosalie, is this a booty call?" I half-joked, half-prayed it was true.

She was silent and I started to wonder if she had fallen asleep. I was about to hang up but then noticed that there was a steady rhythm to her breathing that was starting to sound a lot like panting. Was she…fucking hell! Was she doing what I thought she was doing?

There was a small moaning sound that made me groan. I gave in and reached into the drawer of my night stand and pulled out a bottle of lotion. It was the gentlemanly thing to do, right? I couldn't just let her finish by herself. My eyes slipped shut as my hand slid over my skin.

"Emmett," Rosalie said breathily. "Your lips taste like candy."

"Mmm," I moaned. That was the only response I could give her because I really wanted to tell her that her lips tasted like sex. She might have been drunk but I knew that wasn't something she would enjoy hearing.

"I wanna taste the rest of you, Emmett."

My hand tightened around myself and my eyes rolled into the back of my head. "Oh fuck me," I moaned loudly.

C-C-C-C

**[ Bella ]**

I was so nervous; I was going to be ill at any second. This whole night was supposed to be fun, and at some parts it was, but as we stood backstage waiting to present a new clip of _Shadows,_ I started to get worked up. I took my phone out of my dress pocket and began fiddling with it until I found the text messaging folder and read some of the messages Edward had sent me. He didn't know it, but he had really been a saving grace. I was living in a world of people I wasn't sure I could trust, except for the ones I already knew well. Of course part of me wasn't sure if I should let Edward in, but after being around him, watching him, talking with him, I just knew it was okay to let my guard down. He didn't realize how funny he was. Many times I'd have to fight back a smile when he would text me, hoping everyone around me didn't get curious as to what I was up to.

I was biting my thumb nail when I heard someone coming up behind me. I slipped my phone back in my pocket and turned around, my jaw dropping.

"Edward?" I asked quietly.

He laughed and shook his head. "No, Bella, you silly girl. Don't you recognize me? It's your friend, William!"

I felt like I had just seen a mirage. I'd never noticed the uncanny resemblance of my friend William, fellow Brit and star of the _Twinkle _series, and Edward. They were about the same height and had similar hair color. From behind I doubt you'd be able to tell them apart, except that William's hair was a little more put together, but that could have been the work of many stylists.

My face blushed and I heard him laugh. "Sorry," I mumbled.

"It's quite alright. Who is Edward?"

"Oh, um, just a friend of mine," I tried to say nonchalantly.

He winked at me as he tugged his arm around my shoulders. "Well he must be drastically handsome then, if you have confused him for me!"

"Hands off my date, Patterson," Jacob growled as he grabbed my elbow.

"Who? I know you aren't talking about Bella," Will said, tugging my closer.

I ducked out from under his grip and they continued to argue with each other. I pulled out my cell phone and sent Edward a text.

_It would be so wonderful if you were here right now._

I blinked rapidly, trying to keep my nerves at bay. I paced a bit until my phone vibrated.

_You're doing so well and you look great, Bella. Don't be nervous!_

I breathed a sigh of relief as I leaned up against the wall. I could do this. All I had to do was read a few lines and then it would be over.

"One minute!" one of the production crew shouted as Esme rushed over to me and smiled.

"Just relax, Bella."

"She'll be fine, I've got her," Jacob said as he again took my arm. I wanted to punch him for being so sure of himself, but right now I really needed his support.

"Just go out there and have a great time…and smile at each other," Esme said, fixing my hair one last time as we took the steps toward the stage.

Jacob leaned in to whisper in my ear. "You look really great tonight."

I closed my eyes and pretended he was Edward, stammering with nerves and giving me an adorable smile. My body seemed to ease up as we took our places on stage.

"It's the moment you've all been waiting for—when a decision will be made. Who will win, and who will lose?" Jacob read off the teleprompter.

A loud roar of screams erupted as I stepped towards the microphone. "You've only got a few more weeks to wait to find out, but until then, here's a sneak peak at _The Carlisle's Angels Saga: Shadows_!"

The lights went down and the screams tripled. Jacob and I walked off the stage and down the back alleys to our seats. I settled in between to Jessica and Rosalie and tried not to make eye contact with all the huge celebrities around me. Jessica was nudging me and making silly faces and I tried not to laugh.

Tyler Fautner, one of the main stars of the _Twinkle_ series, took the stage with co-star Ashton Blue, and began to present the award for Global Superstar. When my name and picture came up on the big screen, my eyeballs almost fell out of their sockets. I didn't remember being nominated!

"You're so gonna win this," Rosalie said in her fierce competition voice. If I didn't win, she'd be pulling the hair of whoever did later on at the cocktail party. The girl did not play around.

Jessica was cheering, her fingers crossed in front of her and her legs bouncing. My heart was racing when they opened the envelope.

"Bella Swan!" Ashton read off and everyone began to clap.

I stood up and looked around. My eyes felt like they were going to water. My stomach was doing flips. _Shit, I had just won a big fucking award!_

Rosalie was pushing me out into the aisle and towards the stage. My legs flopped around like Jell-O and I don't know how I made it up there in once piece. Tyler gave me a hug that was a little too close for comfort and Ashton smiled while handing me my popcorn statue.

The music went down and everyone was looking at me. I wanted to puke.

"Well, thank you! This is a huge honor—eh, I don't know how I'm going to remember everyone I'm supposed to thank, so thanks to the fans who voted for me, and to my parents, and my management, Esme Platt, eh, to the girls, Alice and Rosalie, Peak Productions for giving me a job, and to all the people who've stood by me; the ones I trust and the ones I'm growing with. Thank you."

I was so nervous that I nearly dropped my statue on the ground as I walked back with Tyler and Ashton.

"Congratulations, Bella. I'm sure this is a big deal for you," Ashton said. Of course she'd won the Fan's Choice Award last year and felt like she was hot stuff because of it.

"It is. I was totally caught off-guard," I nodded. My phone vibrated in my pocket. "Excuse me," I said as I walked away from my rivals. I pulled out my phone and a huge smile formed on my face.

_Congratulations Global Superstar-ella. Your speech was perfect!_

Edward. He always knew the right things to say.

_The last part was for you. You've been so fantastic and I just feel so lucky…_

And cue the blush. I felt like a schoolgirl all over again. When the phone vibrated back, my heart almost stopped entirely.

_I wish I was there to see it._

I quickly typed back.

_I wish you were here, too._

It was official: Edward Cullen of Olympia, Washington, and owner of FallenAngels, was owning me, Isabella Swan.

C-C-C-C-C

**[ Rosalie ]**

I don't know why they thought it was a good idea to sit us near Zak Efrain and the rest of that _Middle School Recess_ group, but all night I wanted to turn around and slap them. They giggled, they whispered, and they kept kicking the back of my chair. My hand clenched and unclenched all night.

Carlisle put his hand on my knee and gave me that stern fatherly look he always gives me when I want to go apeshit on someone. I nodded and plastered a fake smile on my face when he leaned over.

"Nice kitty," he whispered.

I desperately wanted to flip him the bird. Damn television cameras.

I clapped excitedly when Bella won the award for Global Superstar—she really deserved it. She'd never realize it herself, but she was fantastic. People were drawn to her sense of humility and normalcy. She was precious, and as much as I tried to, I could never be like her. I was slightly envious of the way everyone looked at her. I was desperate to feel needed, desired, wanted.

I had my own fans, and they were great, don't get me wrong. However, seeing fans like…like Edward? How he stared at her and simply loved her for everything she was? I wanted that.

My life was such a clusterfuck right now. Here I am, at the height of my career and all I can keep thinking about is when love's gonna find me. I was hopeless. Alice was happy and whether Bella knew it or not, she was, too. That left me…Emmett Cullen, boner extraordinaire.

_ Who you are mildly infatuated with, _I reminded myself. Damn me. Ever since Emmett had saved me that night at the convention I couldn't get the feel of his hands, his warm spicy scent, and his deep voice out of my head. I was in big trouble.

I squirmed in my seat some more, trying to spy on Bella and see who she was texting all night, but she caught me and turned her phone away from me. I frowned—Bella and I never had secrets.

Carlisle leaned forward and motioned us all in. "Listen girls, when we win Movie of the Year, just let me do all the talking, okay?"

We nodded and sat back in our seats. I opened my purse and popped a few gummy bears in my mouth. I knew purses were supposed to be for lipstick and cell phones, but I had a sweet tooth and I'd been dieting for weeks to get into this dress. I was rewarding myself for all my hard work.

The crowd went quiet and the lights went down as they presented the nominees for Movie of the Year. We had some stiff competition. Of course, _Twinkle_ was nominated, and a few other big films. It really could go either way on who won, but I did secretly hope it would be us.

"And the winner is…._Carlisle's Angels: Used Sun!"_

I jumped up and started hugging Carlisle. He was laughing and smiling as we all went on stage to accept our popcorns. I held mine up to the crowd and mouthed 'Thank you' while Carlisle took over with his speech.

"We'd like to thank everyone who fucking voted for us! You all are the best fucking fans we could ever ask for! You fucking rock and we don't give a damn if the whole world knows—_CA _fans are the shit!" After an eternity, in which he kept spitting out numerous profanities thanks to the Bleeper Award he'd received earlier, we walked backstage and were met by a few interviewers and reporters who had gained backstage access.

"Rosalie, tell us about your next project!"

I stopped in front of the microphone. "Well, it's called _Mortal_ and I play a Greek Goddess named Athena, and it's pretty awesome. I can't give too much away, but we're filming now and I can't wait for everyone to see it!"

I waved and walked past the crowd, linking arms with my girls. "Tonight was fantastic! Minus the snobs and the annoying pre-schoolers behind us. But girls, we won! We rock!"

Alice looked up at me and grinned. "This has been great! I'm so glad I have the best two friends a girl could ever ask for!"

Bella laughed and nodded. "Yes—and now it's time for the after party. And you know what that means, since we won?"

"Time to get wasted!" Carlisle shouted behind us as we erupted into a fit of giggles.

But he was right. It was time to party.

C-C-C-C-C

**[ Edward ]**

I was elbow deep in dishwater when my phone started ringing. I groaned before I saw that it was Bella. Then I left the damn dishes and quickly dried off my hands before picking up the phone.

"Hello?" I asked breathlessly. Expecting to hear Bella's voice, I was surprised when the only thing I heard was loud and obnoxious giggling. "Bella?" I tried again.

The result was the same thing. There was loud laughter, the sound of the phone moving against fabric and then the line disconnected. Figuring that she must have dialed my number by accident, I went back to the rest of the dishes. Not a minute later, the phone rang again.

"Bella?" I answered. "Bella, hello?"

"EDWARD!" Her voice was so loud that I had to yank the phone away from my ear.

"Bella?" I asked timidly.

"Oh my God, Edward!" she yelled again. "Do you know where we are?"

I laughed slightly. "At the after party?"

"Rosalie… locked… bathroom!"

I could hardly hear over the voices in the background. "You're what?"

"Will you two shut up?" Bella yelled before focusing back on our conversation. "We're locked in the bathroom!"

I couldn't stop the panic that rose in my chest and made me start shaking. I immediately went into protective mode. "Who locked you in the bathroom? Oh my God, Bella are you trapped in there with fans?"

"No! No, Edward, we're fine. We just…broke the doorknob and can't get out."

"Well," I tried to think of a solution. "Hang up and I'll call Jasper! He can get you out."

Bella started laughing again and it took another five minutes to get her to focus on the situation at hand. "Oh no, that won't work. We have Jasper's phone. Did you know he has a naked picture of Alice in his pictures? Don't you think that's gross?"

I tried really hard to ignore the mental image that _that_ conjured and shook my head. Alice and Bella seemed to have gotten into an argument because all I could hear was sporadic words like foreplay, long distance relationships, and blackmail. I tried again to get her to pay attention.

"Bella, where is the after party at?"

"Um," she sighed. "A club I think?"

I rubbed my forehead. "You don't know the name?"

"No. But they have really comfortable chairs that have purple cushions on them. I like the color purple. When I was little I had this jumper that had purple hearts on it and-"

"Okay, Bella," I interrupted. This was going nowhere fast. "There isn't anyone else you can call? What about Jessica or Carlisle? Esme?"

"No. They all have their phones off." Her voice trailed off. "Hey Edward, don't you think foil is a funny word? I think it's funny. I like the word aluminum, though."

I ran back towards my bedroom and shook my mouse to get my computer screen to turn on. I settled into my desk chair and brought up Google. "Okay, what else do you remember about the club? You don't remember anything about the name?"

It seemed like hours that I sat there and tried to Google information about a club in downtown LA that had purple cushions and a name that Bella thought rhymed with turkey. The fact that she kept accidently hanging up on me didn't help anything. It was extremely frustrating to know that she was in danger and that there wasn't a damn thing I was able to do about it. I mean okay, being locked in a bathroom with two of your best friends wasn't that dangerous, but it still made me anxious.

It also made me severely annoyed with Jasper. How could he not notice that his fiancé was missing for hours? Normally he was overprotective of Alice, how the fuck had he missed this? I would be giving him a stern lecture about paying more attention to his surroundings when they came back to Washington next week.

My phone started ringing again. I sighed before answering it. "Did you drop your phone again?"

The giggling response I got made me shake my head in frustration. I couldn't even understand what Bella was saying but when I heard Alice's voice scream "Edward, Bella likes you! She loves you!" I tried to sit up in my chair and nearly fell out of it in the process.

"Alice!" Bella screamed. Not two seconds later my phone beeped, telling me the line had been disconnected.

I stared at the desktop picture on my computer monitor, a picture of Bella and me at Comic Con, and slowly shook my head. They were drunk. That explained what Alice had said. It was as simple as that. There was no way that Bella Swan loved me. I mean, hell, I was lucky enough that she didn't write me off as a complete loser to begin with. The idea of her actually having feelings for me was absurd. And the fact that my phone didn't ring again after she had hung up was proof.

Trying really hard not to feel disappointed, I went back to the kitchen and finished washing the dishes. Once they were done, I did everything I could possibly think of to avoid staring at the screen of my phone. When the house was sufficiently picked up I walked back to my bedroom. I ignored the grunting moans that were coming from my brother's bedroom and turned off the hallway light.

I had just yanked my t-shirt off when I heard my phone beeping. Nearly tripping over the corner of my bed, I ran towards the desk and grabbed it. My heart nearly stalled when I saw Bella's number.

"Hello?" I answered quietly.

The first thing I noticed was that there wasn't any background noise this time. It was silent except for her hushed breathing. The second thing I noticed was that Bella wasn't talking, she was just breathing into the phone.

"Bella?" I quietly asked. "Are you okay?"

"We got out of the bathroom," she softly mumbled. "Jasper found us."

A calming relief ran through my body. "Thank God," I sighed and sat on the edge of my bed.

"Edward?" her small voice asked, timid and shy.

"Yeah?"

"If you aren't busy…I mean, if you aren't too tired…would you maybe want to um, well you know, would you like to talk? I'm not really tired and I don't want to watch TV…"

I had to be smiling like an idiot. I lay back against the bed and closed my eyes. "I got Emmett hooked on _The Mighty Boosh_. He ordered all of his own copies of the DVDs because I wouldn't let him use mine."

The sound of Bella's laughter made my soul fly. She might have been named the Global Superstar at the MTV Movie Awards, but after all of the glitz and glamour of the red carpet and award show, Bella was having a phone conversation with me about British sketch comedy. That had to count for something.

C-C-C-C-C

**[ Alice ]**

"I don't believe this is really meant to be used as a dance floor."

I shrugged at Jasper's whispered voice and continued to dance around him. He tried to look a little harassed which I didn't buy one bit. A small smile sat at the corner of his mouth as I raised his arms with mine and basically forced him to dance with me.

The after party was fun and all, but why play loud music that was perfect for shaking your ass to if nobody was going to dance? Standing near the back in a semi-secluded corner, I pranced around Jasper and Jacob trying to convince one of them to dance with me. It wasn't until Carlisle had done the funky chicken with me that people started loosening up. Rosalie had Jacob dancing and even though Jasper just sort of stood there watching me, at least his head was moving along with the music. After giving me a quick twirl he pulled me against his chest and held me there. I smiled when his lips fell against my forehead and then finally met my lips.

"You're kinda amazing," Jasper said quietly. "You know that?"

"Oh, Jasper." I shook my head and wrapped my arms around his neck, "I'm really a huge dork. It's only a matter of time before the magic wears off and you see that for yourself."

He opened his mouth to continue our playful argument but was stopped by Rosalie Hale. She was shaking what her Mama gave her and pulled me out of Jasper's arms to dance with her. The bottle of liquor in her hand didn't go unnoticed.

"I need to borrow her for a second." She batted her eyes at Jasper. "No boys allowed. Sorry."

Jasper managed to pull me back to him for a quick kiss before I was yanked away by Rosalie. As we walked away, I saw Carlisle sidle up to my fiancé with a glass full of dark liquor and I knew Jasper would be fine without me.

"Where are we going?" I asked Rosalie. She ignored me but grabbed Bella's arm as we walked by her and Jessica.

"We'll just be a second!" she called back to Bella's group of friends.

The two of us trailed behind Rosalie, asking where the hell we were going and never getting an answer. Bella gave me a nervous look before we were shoved into a private bathroom. I jumped when the door closed and locked with a loud clink.

"You don't have to be so pushy," I complained. It didn't do any good since I was still ignored.

Bella nodded in agreement. "What are we doing in the bathroom?"

"Celebrating!" Rosalie smiled. She handed me the bottle of liquor, which turned out to be tequila, and then dug into her clutch and pulled out three shot glasses.

"We're celebrating in a bathroom?"

Rosalie ignored Bella's question and lined the small glasses up on the bathroom counter. She screwed the lid off of the bottle and started pouring. "We won Movie of the Year. Alice is getting married. The series is nearly finished and I'm feeling a little emotional. So just take the damn drink and let me be sentimental!"

"Aw." I gave her a one-armed hug and took the shot glass she was offering me. "Don't be sad, Rosie."

She gave me the evil side eye and shook her head. "Don't call me that."

Bella snorted and took her own glass that Rosalie had handed her. "So what are we drinking to?"

I held my glass up. "To new adventures."

"To new…things?" Bella asked hesitantly.

"That would be considered an adventure," I laughed. She shrugged and held her glass up.

"What about you, Rosalie? What are you drinking to?"

Rosalie raised her glass and gently tapped it against Bella's and then mine. "To having the best friends a girl could ask for."

After several more shots and a handful of sappy hugs, we were ready to rejoin the party. I was waiting for Rosalie to finish fixing her hair when Bella muttered something about the door being broken and then yelped. My head snapped in her direction and then followed her shocked eyes to whatever she was holding her hands.

"What the hell is that?" Rosalie asked.

I shook my head. "Is that…"

"The door handle came off." Bella lamely held it up and looked back and forth between the two of us. She shoved the door knob at Rosalie. "Fix it."

"Fix it?" Rosalie laughed. "Do I look like a fucking handyman?"

I took the knob, ignoring the bickering between my friends, and tried to fit it back onto the door. Over their snarky remarks I heard the handle from the other side fall to the floor. I tried to pull our door handle away to look through the hole, only now, ours was stuck in place.

"Um," I muttered, pulling on the handle." Guys… I think we might be locked in here."

Rosalie shoved me aside while Bella just sat there staring at us for a second. Her eyes got wide before she busted out into a loud round of very girly giggles. When she snorted, I couldn't help but join in, and after a minute Rosalie was highly annoyed but on the verge of laughing herself.

"Seriously? A brand new club and they can't even get doorknobs that work?" Rosalie kicked her designer shoe at the door.

Bella finally stopped laughing long enough to take a deep breath and ask, "Well, what do we do?"

"Call Jasper, he can get someone to come open the door." I shook my head, still laughing at the fact that the three of us had managed to lock ourselves in the bathroom, and tossed Rosalie her phone.

She sighed before holding her phone up to her ear. It wasn't but a few seconds later that a familiar song started playing. I looked around; trying to figure out what the hell was playing, until I remembered that I had Jasper's phone in my bag. Rosalie groaned when I pulled it out and gave her an apologetic smile.

Bella shook her head. "Just call Carlisle or Jacob. Someone has to have their phones with them."

One would think that at a party filled with celebrities, someone would have a phone that they would answer. You would also think that since our entire cast was here, they would notice that the three of us were missing. But that wasn't the case. After trying every number that we knew, and every single one of them going to voicemail, it looked like we would be stuck in here forever. The three of us screamed and yelled while knocking on the door, hoping that someone would hear us. But Rosalie had picked this bathroom for a reason. It was away from the main area in a secluded hallway. There was nobody close enough to hear us.

What seemed like hours later, Rosalie was sitting on the counter letting her long legs swing back and forth while Bella kept pouring shots into our glasses. It didn't take long before the three of us were pretty drunk and doing just about anything to keep ourselves entertained. It went from karaoke to telling crude jokes. When the bottle was completely empty we took to our own idiotic activities. I drunk tweeted. Rosalie sent drunken text messages. And Bella…well, Bella called Edward... several times.

I watched as her face blushed a furious shade of red while she tried to form coherent sentences. I also might have accidently said something about Bella having a crush on Edward. That must have made her a little angry because she pushed me off of the only chair in the bathroom and onto the floor.

Lying on the floor of a public bathroom wasn't something I was okay with. But it was like once my back hit the tile, I couldn't get up. I laughed so hard I nearly peed in my pants and tried not to focus on the fact that the room was spinning. Voices were muffled, lights were fuzzy and everything was funny. I heard someone knocking on the door but that just made my laughter louder.

"We're stuck in here!" Someone, Rosalie I think, screamed.

Her voice reverberated off the tiled walls and made me cringe away from her. There were more loud noises and more yelling. I stared at the light fixture above me and squinted against the brightness of the bulbs until a silhouette blocked it out.

"Alice?"

I smiled lazily at Jasper's familiar voice. "You're really tall."

His strong hands moved under my shoulders and thighs and slowly pulled me up off of the floor. My arms were heavy but I forced them to wrap around his neck. The silk of his jacket was cool against my cheek and even though the swaying motion of him walking with me in his arms made me want to vomit, I was comfortable. I vaguely remembered getting into a car but after that I just remember the feel of Jasper's arms wrapped around me.

I stretched and tried to move but the sensation made my stomach roll and my body ache. I carefully opened one of my eyes only to squeeze it back shut a second later. The room was way too bright and my head hurt way too much to attempt anything else.

"Are you hungover?" Jasper's groggy voice asked. I think I might have grunted in response. "Me, too."

He rolled towards me and I had to push my lips together to keep from yelling at him to stop moving. Jasper finally settled on his side, closer to me, and the feeling of his cool hands against my face made the spinning slow.

Keeping my eyes shut, my hand slowly found its way out of the blankets and held on to Jasper's forearm. "What happened last night? I don't remember…anything."

His fingertip gently ran over my cheek. "The three of you got locked in the bathroom and drank an entire bottle of tequila."

"I had your phone." I muttered, remembering bits and pieces now. "It took forever for you to find me."

"Carlisle got me drunk. Really, really drunk."

I couldn't help but snort a little.

"Why didn't you just call the club and tell them you were locked in the bathroom?"

That was a good point. I slowly shrugged my shoulders though, because I don't know why we didn't think about that. "Tequila makes me stupid."

It was Jasper's turn to laugh. "It also makes you a little dangerous."

Despite the fact that our hotel room was way too bright, my eyes flew open. A pair of azure eyes was staring back at me; they matched the small smile that Jasper had. What didn't match was the dark purple bruise that covered his lower eyelid and cheek.

Forgetting the hangover, I sat up and shook my head. "What did I do?"

He laughed as I crawled over the bed and pushed him over until I was straddling his stomach. My hands carefully touched the bruise.

Jasper held my hands still and kissed my fingertips. "It's fine. Really, it was my own fault."

"How could this be your fault?" I felt horrible that I had hurt him but also because he was blaming himself. "Did I punch you?"

"No," he sat up on his elbows and smiled up at me. "You threw your shoe at me."

"What?"

He nodded his head. "When I got you back to the room I thought you were passed out. So I put you to bed and went to take a shower. When I came out you were twirling around the room, holding your shoes in your hand. I scared you when I tried to get you to stop and the shoe you had been holding flew right at my face."

I groaned and covered my face with my hands. "I am so sorry."

Jasper kissed my hands before pulling them away from my face. "It's fine, Alice."

"I hurt you!" I protested.

He rolled his eyes before lying back against the bed and pulling me down with him. "It's my own fault for not believing that you had such mad ninja skills."

I laughed and settled against his chest. "Well… that is true."

C-C-C-C-C

**JFI: **For those of you who played on Twitter with all of us during the REAL MTV movie awards, thanks! And again, fear not my faithful Stalkers. We have more Edweird and more Emmett coming up quickly! During the craziness that is Eclipse premiere week, remember to make us proud! Fence climbing, movie poster stealing, and trivia contest winning is encouraged! To our Stalkers that are staked out in LA right now and are planning to be camping out in London…YOU GUYS ARE OUR HEROS! MAKE US PROUD KIDS AND REMEMBER "WHAT WOULD EMMETT DO?"

**LMW:** Hope you enjoyed this as much as we enjoy your love and support! Thanks for being fantastic!


	33. Don't Look Under the Bed

**Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight, but we own Stalkmett's middle name. Okay, JustForkIt does. LMW owns a bunch of moving boxes.**

0-0-0-0-0

**[ Edward ]**

"Emmett, did you clean out from under your bed?"

When he didn't answer me, I turned to look at my brother. He was staring at me with absolutely no expression on his face.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Emmett barked. "No, I didn't clean under my bed! If Alice Brandon is under my bed then I think we have bigger issues to deal with than the fact that I have porn and dirty socks under there."

Grinding my teeth together, I tried to calm down and stared straight ahead at the car in front of us. I didn't want to argue with my brother, especially since we were on our way to pick Jasper and Alice up from the airport. Emmett was annoying the ever-loving shit out of me. What part of 'we have a celebrity coming to stay with us for two weeks' was he not understanding? It didn't matter if she was staying in his room or not! The house needed to be clean and I didn't understand why he couldn't just do what I fucking asked!

I'd spent a week getting the apartment together. I had cleaned the baseboards and ceiling fans, made sure that all of the bathrooms were exceptionally clean, and even bought new towels and sheets for Jasper's bed. I wanted Alice's visit to Washington to be perfect, because if Alice felt comfortable at our house, then so would Bella. I wasn't using Alice to get to Bella per say, but it certainly wouldn't hurt anything if one of her best friends put in a good word or two.

Just thinking about Bella made me confused and exhilarated all at once. I mean, on one hand, I had to be one of the luckiest guys alive because Bella Swan actually sent me text messages and e-mails. She would suggest books or music that she thought I would like, which was completely beyond anything I ever expected, but what the hell did it mean? She had kissed my cheek in San Diego, held onto my arm and even flirted somewhat but hadn't really said or done anything beyond that! I was stuck between a rock and a hard place because I didn't want to push her further than she wanted to go, but I also didn't want seem like I wasn't interested in something more with her. So, did I wait for her to make the first move? Or did I take one big leap of chance and ask her out? And if I did ask her out, what the hell would that even mean? She was in LA filming _Beer for Hippos_ and I was in Olympia for Pete's sake! I could ask her for a "cyber date" but I knew that just made me look desperate and geeky, which I was, but there wasn't a need to broadcast that shit.

Then there was the whole website ordeal. I hadn't posted anything on the site since we'd gotten back. I knew people were getting pissed off, especially Angela, but I was still trying to decide what to do. I had gone in and changed all of the administrative passwords, effectively making it to where I was the only person who could upload or update anything, but that didn't stop people from taking about things on the message boards. Reading some of the posts made me want to shut down the site immediately, but the truth was that I really liked running it. It made me happy to know that there was at least one site out there that didn't publish trashy paparazzi pictures or fabricated stories from gossip magazines. FallenAngels was a website dedicated to the truth and that was something I was immensely proud of, but the number of hits that we had gotten quadrupled over night because of my connection to Jasper and Bella. I didn't want to be expected to post inside information on any of our lives, but I knew I was.

"Does Rosalie talk to you on Twitter?"

Emmett's random question brought me out of my self-induced Bella Swan/FallenAngels coma. I shrugged and pulled Jasper's truck into the arrivals lane at the airport. "Kind of; she isn't on there a lot but she says hi every now and then. She jokes around with Jasper a bit."

He grunted in response and stared out his window.

"Why? Does she talk to you?"

My brother turned in his seat to look at me and shook his head. "Fuck no she doesn't talk to me! Although, one would think that if we-you know-knew each other, because we do know each other from Alice and Jasper, that she would at least be willing to fucking say hello or something! But no! All I get is the silent treatment!"

What the hell is my brother smoking? I shook my head as he continued ranting under his breath. His words ran together and I couldn't understand what the hell he was talking about, but it was obvious that he was upset.

"Maybe she doesn't know what your Twitter name is. I mean, honestly, if someone named chbbywnkr Tweeted at me and I was a celebrity, I would think it was porn."

Emmett shrugged before yanking his seatbelt off. He was still muttering to himself but stopped when we saw Alice and Jasper coming out of the automatic doors. I put the truck into park and got out to help throw their bags in the back.

"Hey!" Alice cried happily. She bounced towards us, leaving Jasper walking behind her. Alice dropped the bag she'd been carrying and threw her arms around Emmett.

He awkwardly hugged her back, patting the top of her head when she let him go. "Welcome to Washington, Small Fry!"

"She isn't a puppy, Emmett," Jasper joked. He threw one of their bags into the bed of the truck before smiling at me. "Hey Edward."

I laughed when Alice pushed Jasper out of the way to give me a hug and I leaned down to make it easier on her. "Hi Alice."

"Oh my gosh, I've missed you guys! We have so much catching up to do! I can't wait to see the apartment and Jasper was telling me about this restaurant here that supposedly has fantastic pie and you know I am just going to have to force you guys to take me!"

Alice kept talking ninety miles an hour while Emmett and Jasper put the rest of their luggage into the back of the truck. I tried to focus on everything she was saying but noticed that a few people seemed to have recognized her and that made me nervous. Thankfully, Jasper moved her towards the truck and she got inside without much persuading.

The rest of us piled into the car, me in the back with Alice, Jasper and Emmett in the front seats, and pulled away from the curb. Jasper drove while Alice gave us a play by play about what they had been doing since we left San Diego. Emmett made some wise cracks about the clothes that Jasper had worn to the MTV movie awards which led to the two of them playfully bickering with each other.

"Are they always like this?" Alice asked with a laugh.

I nodded. "It's worse when food is involved."

She rolled her eyes before squeezing my hand.

"While I'm here," she whispered, "you and me are gonna talk."

I swallowed thickly because I didn't really know what that meant. "Alright," I said hesitantly.

"It isn't anything bad," Alice reassured me. She laughed and playfully shoved my arm before engaging Emmett in a conversation about his graduation that was two days from now.

Once we got back to the apartment, I watched with excited amusement while Alice followed Jasper inside. She dropped her bag on the couch and looked around our living room with a huge smile on her face. Once her eyes landed on the framed _CA_ movie poster on the wall, she let out a loud snort of laughter.

"Hey!" Emmett sarcastically scolded her. "Don't make fun of the artwork."

I had to be blushing because I was so freaking embarrassed. How could I forget to hide all of the _CA_ paraphernalia that we had sitting around the house! Especially since ninety percent of it was mine! God, Alice was going to think I was a huge freak and a stalker.

"I think it's great!" Alice beamed. "Really! What else do you guys have? Oh my God! Do you have the action figures? I totally want to see them if you do!"

Emmett sat down in his recliner and smirked. "Jasper has the Alice Brandon pillowcase."

Alice's jaw dropped to the floor and she spun around to see Jasper shaking his head.

"Lies," Jasper lied and I laughed. "Emmett is a pathological liar, Alice. Don't believe a word he says."

My brother snorted obnoxiously. "Right, because I'm the one that hid a relationship from you for nearly a year."

Alice laughed at the two of them and fell down onto the couch. "The apartment is nice. Thanks for letting me stay with you guys. I'm so tired of hotels… you have no idea."

"Just don't look under my bed," Emmett leaned his chair back and turned the TV on.

I rolled my eyes and helped Jasper take the rest of their bags into his bedroom, hoping that my brother wouldn't embarrass all of us while she was visiting.

As it turned out, all of my worrying was for nothing.Alice Brandon was a normal person. She snorted when she laughed and walked around our house in her pajamas without any make-up on and her hair all over the place. She played video games with Emmett and pilfered Jasper's CD collection when she thought he wasn't looking, and even offered to help make dinner. She washed dishes and drank cheap beer, acting more like one of the guys rather than a Hollywood celebrity. She was a hell of a lot of fun and it made it easy to understand why Jasper was so in love with her.

I woke up on the morning of Emmett's graduation expecting to hear my brother slamming cabinets or Jasper's music playing but the house was silent. Slipping out of bed, I grabbed a t-shirt and quietly made my way down the hallway. Jasper and Emmett's bedroom doors were shut so I assumed that everyone was still asleep but when I walked into the living room I found Alice sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee in her hand.

"Morning," she said sleepily.

"Hey." I kind of waved at her. "I thought everyone was asleep."

Alice shook her head and smiled. "Emmett went to go get donuts and Jasper is picking up his graduation present."

I nodded before moving into the kitchen. I was pulling my t-shirt over my arms when I heard her gasp. I quickly turned around, my arms still halfway in the shirt and looked her over to make sure she wasn't choking or something. "What? Are you okay?"

She sat her coffee cup on the table and stumbled her way off of the couch towards me. "Edward you… do you have a Bella Swan tattoo?"

_Fuck Emmett and his fucking parties!_

"Please don't tell Bella," I begged her. "It was an accident!"

Alice's hands were covering her mouth but her eyes said everything. They were wide with shock. I finished putting my shirt on and then started hurriedly explaining how the whole tattoo thing had happened.

"One of the nurses that Emmett works with drugged us during a party that we were throwing to help Jasper get over his break up with Ann."

"Ann?" Alice's hands landed on her hips and she shook her head. "So this is all her fault?"

"Well, not really but-"

"Well if she hadn't of been a complete twat about things with Jasper then there wouldn't have been a party! And then there wouldn't have been drunken tattoos!" Alice was fired up. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad that they broke up, but God she was such a… a… not nice person!"

I just stood there, watching while Alice went off on a tangent about Ann being a bitch to Jasper. I agreed with her a hundred percent but I hadn't ever seen Alice blatantly talk crap about someone. But if she was willing to place the blame of that monstrosity of a tattoo on Ann, then who was I to stop her?

Alice eventually calmed down and just shook her head in frustration. I nervously shifted from foot to foot. "You won't tell Bella, will you?"

"Of course not," she shook her head. "But we will definitely have to do something about that whole situation. I mean, she doesn't think you're some weird stalker or anything, but a tattoo won't help at all."

"I'm not a stalker!" I accidently yelled. "Do you know expensive it is to get a tattoo removed? I mean, now that Jasper is moving out, Emmett and I have to cover his part of the rent and Cha Cha isn't paying like it used to."

"Edward," Alice said calmly. "Just calm down, okay? We'll find a way to fix it."

I nodded even though I wasn't really sure we would.

0-0-0-0-0

**[ Emmett ]**

Today should have been a good day. I was graduating from college and moving on to a new chapter of my life. I should have been excited and proud of myself. I should have been focusing on my future instead of my past. But that was easier said than done since graduations made me remember one of the worst memories of my life.

Eight years ago, when I was eighteen, my mom died, the night before my high school graduation, leaving my fourteen year-old brother in my care. We didn't have any other family and only a small handful of close friends. People offered to help as much as they could but ultimately we were left on our own. I'd spent the summer after high school trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do. I got a job and worked ten hours a day while my friends spent their vacation at the beach or in someone's pool. It was hard, really hard, but somehow Edward and I had made it through. The fact that I had helped raised my brother was something I was really proud of. I mean sure, the kid could be kind of weird about things, but he was a good guy. So, again, I should have been proud of myself today. I'd overcome something that people normally wouldn't. By the book, Edward and I should have been way more fucked up than we were, but we weren't. And on any other day but today I would have been happy about that, but today I just missed my mom.

"Emmett Bartholomew Cullen."

Hearing my name forced me to pay attention and I plastered a fake smile on my face as I walked across the stage. I shook the Dean's hand and took the fake diploma he was giving me.

"Congratulations, Son."

I nodded in appreciation and smiled a genuine smile when I heard a small group of people clapping and cheering for me. I hadn't expected Alice to come to the actual graduation, especially when it meant that there could be a mad rush of _CA_ fans hounding her, but she had insisted that she wanted to be there. Judging by the fact that there wasn't a riot going on I assumed that she had somehow managed to get in undetected. There were so many people in this auditorium that I couldn't find where they were sitting but as I walked back to my seat, I waved in the general direction of the cheering, hoping I was right.

I sat through the rest of the ceremony being all emo about life and wondering what the hell I was going to do now. I'd been offered a coaching job a couple of schools, and would probably accept one of them, but wasn't nearly as excited about it as I should have been. It just didn't feel right. I blew it off to being in a piss poor mood and stealthily pulled my phone out of my pocket. We would be here a while, and since I didn't really give a shit about the rest of these people graduating, I played around on my phone.

Three games of Bejeweled and half a game of Solitaire later, I got bored and opened Twitter. As soon as that shit loaded I saw Rosalie's name, Tweeting about saving the damn dolphins or some shit. I turned it off. That was just another fucking dilemma that I was tired of dealing with.

Rosalie Hale would let me shove my tongue in her mouth, let my hands be splayed all over her ass and even let me find out of the nipple ring rumors were true or not. But asking her to Tweet to me was fucking out of the question. When we got back from San Diego and Rosalie officially got a Twitter, I got excited, thinking that maybe this was her way of opening up the lines of communication. Well fuck that because she never communicated. In fact I had tweeted to her saying hello and then got a direct message back telling me that she had told me no one could know about what had happened between us. How the fuck was I supposed to know that just responding with a polite "hi" would mean that the whole fucking world would know that I'd seen Rosalie Hale's tits? It just didn't make sense and it was literally driving me up the wall. She was fine with sending me text messages, fine with having drunken phone sex, but sending a fucking Tweet was like asking her to cut off a puppy's tail and eat it.

The woman fucking drove me insane. She wouldn't ever tell me why all of this had to be a secret but instead just expected me to accept it and move on. She expected me to be fine with her little flirty behavior behind closed doors and then blatantly ignoring me in any public setting. I should have told her that it wasn't going to happen; in fact I had told her that several times, but every damn time I did she would come back with some remark that made me forget I had ever brought it up. At times, like now, I wish I could just wash my hands of the whole damn thing and never see her again. That would have been just dandy except for the fact that I would be seeing her at some point in time for Jasper and Alice's wedding. La-De-Fucking-Da for me.

I just didn't understand it because Rosalie wasn't a mean person. She had a huge heart and gave anything that was asked of her. Even in our e-mails and text conversations she was a nice girl. She loved her friends, loved her family and worked exceptionally hard at everything she did. She was smart, funny, beautiful… the whole fucking package. So what was the fucking hang up? I could ask her to tell me about her deepest fears and she would. I could ask her to tell me an embarrassing secret and she would. Why the fuck wouldn't she tell me why no one could know about us, or tell me what the hell we even were? It didn't make sense. At all.

By the time we reached the end of the fucking alphabet I was in a ridiculously bad mood. I just wanted to get the fuck out of here and be left the hell alone to brood on my own. I half-heartedly threw my damn cap in the air and then walked away without bothering to pick it up. I moved through the crowd, apologizing when I accidently ran into someone.

"Emmett!"

I stopped and turned around to find Edward laughing at me.

"Oh hey," I walked back to him. "I thought I would just meet you guys back home."

My brother frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I lied. "Are we meeting A and J outside?"

Thankfully Edward let it go and the two of us walked out of the auditorium. I unzipped the damn graduation gown I was wearing and followed my brother down the stairs. I wasn't really even paying attention to anything until I saw Jasper standing there. It wasn't my friend or even his new fiancé that made me stop. It was the people standing around them. The entire Whitlock family stood there looking back at me and laughing at my shocked reaction.

"You didn't really think we would miss this did ya?" Jasper's mom asked.

I swallowed around the lump that was stuck in my throat and leaned down when she walked forward to hug me. Mama Whitlock kissed my cheek before hugging my neck tightly. "Your mom would be so proud of you, Emmett."

I nodded and hugged her back, hoping that all of the appreciation and love that I had for her entire family showed. "Thank you," I said quietly. "For everything."

The Whitlock family had pretty much become Edward and mine's surrogate family when we had become friends with Jasper. We had been to Texas to see them several times as well as them coming to see us. They had driven to South Padre to pick my ass up when Heidi had left me there and through the years had offered advice, love and support. It meant a lot to have Mama Whitlock there, especially since my own mom couldn't be.

Mama patted my back and then let me go. I hugged all of Jasper's sisters, blaming his oldest for the damn My Little Pony sleeping bag and then shook their father's hand. "What are you all doing here?" I asked them. "I thought that you said you couldn't make it."

Everyone looked at Alice and she shrugged. "I had no idea what to get you as a graduation gift and Jasper agreed that this might be perfect."

Jasper smiled that damn shit eating grin when I looked at him. I rolled my eyes before he laughed and gave me a hug. Everyone awed over our damn man hug and then laughed when I jokingly pushed him away from me.

"Okay! Okay!" Mama Whitlock called over the chatter. "I want some pictures! Emmett, zip your robe back up." I complied and stood there while everyone shuffled around to take the pictures she requested.

After about a million damn pictures she was putting the camera back in her purse when I stopped her. "I need a picture with my honorary Mom."

She gave Jasper the camera and I put my arm around her shoulder, smiling like an idiot when the flash of the camera went off.

0-0-0-0-0

**[ Jasper ]**

Watching Emmett walk across the stage was a huge accomplishment. I knew it had been a long road for him, but things were finally starting to look up for my best friend. Alice and I had talked for a long time about what to get him as a present—Alice was willing to go out and buy him his own football team to coach, but I reminded her that it was a little extravagant. After some convincing she'd relented and we'd decided on something much better.

I picked my family up from the airport and was greeted with tons of hugs and even more questions. My sisters were so excited to meet Alice Brandon, soon-to-be-Whitlock. The whole ride back to the apartment they asked tons of questions about the girls and my dad told them to be quiet and leave me alone.

Mama was the one to really take charge. "Okay, rules are as follows: do not crowd, overwhelm, annoy, tackle, or pester Alice Brandon. She'll be your sister soon enough and then you can do all of the aforementioned things."

I shook my head at them and made sure we made it to the apartment after Emmett had already left. He wasn't supposed to see them until after the ceremony. We walked in and Alice was sitting on the couch with Edward, helping him fix his tie. She turned and smiled at all of us before running over and giving Mama a huge hug. She whispered something and I saw my mom squeeze her tighter and say something back.

My dad was next, and I saw Mama give Edward a big hug after surveying him for injuries. Out of the three of us boys, she was the most protective of Edward—I guess it's because he was the baby, or that he took it real hard when his own mom passed away; but she always liked to make sure he felt extra special.

I heard screaming and looked over to see my sisters and Alice all jumping up and down excitedly. Alice gave me a thumbs up and a wink.

"Jasper, we've got to bring your sisters to LA one weekend and show them some of the _CA_ sets!"

I nodded and smiled—my sisters would be thrilled, and…well, who was I kidding? So was I! I'd been dying to see all the behind-the-scenes stuff. I started to form a plan in my head to bring Edward and Emmett down, too…maybe get together with Bella and Rosalie…

"Jasper Whitlock, whatever you're planning, think about it later! We're gonna be late, and I cannot miss my baby Emmett walking across that stage!" Mama yelled, telling us all to 'file out' and into the car.

Alice curled up against my side as we walked out of the house. "I love your family," she said sweetly, staring up at me with angelic eyes.

"Our family," I corrected her as I placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Alice, please say you'll sit by me!" my littlest sister called.

Alice nodded before climbing into the car. But not before I heard her whisper "our family" reverently with a huge smile on her face.

My dad came up behind me and clapped me on the shoulder. "Definitely a keeper—she reminds me of your mother when she was younger."

I knew right then that everything was going to work out great.

0-0-0-0-0

I was standing around after graduation while my parents took pictures with Emmett and my sisters tried to protect Alice from being trampled by fans. I was proud of them for sticking up for Alice and looking out for her. I knew they'd get along at this point.

"Excuse me," I heard someone pushing through the crowd as they made their way towards us. My fingers started curling up instinctively—I knew that voice.

She came waltzing through the crowd in a red skirt and dangerously low black top. Not surprising—I'm sure it was some huge fashion label, too.

"Jasper Whitlock?" she feigned ignorantly, pretending to be shocked.

"Lindsey," I said in a low voice.

"I haven't seen you in ages!" she said as she threw her body against me. I could hear Alice snarling in the background as I pushed her off of me.

"I'm sure you heard Ann and I broke up."

She pouted. "Yes, such a tragic event—I always thought you two would get married."

I wanted to roll my eyes at her, but remained respectful in front of my family.

"Actually, he's engaged to someone else…Lindsey, was it?" Alice said, coming up on my side and putting her arm around me.

Lindsey's eyes got as wide as saucers as she looked between Alice and me. "You mean…you and Alice Brandon…oh my God, it's _TRUE?"_

"You better believe it—so I'd appreciate it if you kept your hands to yourself."

Lindsey raised an eyebrow at her before turning to me. "I wonder if Ann knows about this," she mused.

"You tell Ann—" Alice started before Emmett pushed himself in front of Alice and stared down at Lindsey, who was now shaking.

"You tell Ann if she has an issue, she can come take it up with me. As for you, you can leave me and my family alone—this is a special day for us and I'm not going to have you ruining it by bringing up the Wicked Witch of the Entire World. Goodbye."

She huffed before narrowing her eyes at Alice. "Just because you're rich doesn't give you the right to be a bitch. I could ruin you if I wanted."

Alice gave her the middle finger before giggling and high-fiving Emmett. Lindsey stomped her foot and stormed off, leaving the rest of my family staring at me like 'what the fuck?'

"Well now that Small Fry and I have rid this town of rats, let's go eat—I'm hungry!" Emmett said, rubbing his stomach.

My dad gave Emmett another man squeeze and let out a loud laugh. "Now that's what I'm talking about, son. Last one to the car is a rotten egg!"

They took off running and I smiled at Alice. "I love you."

She scrunched her face up and made a snorting sound before peeking one eye open at me. "You too, Jasper. Now let's go—I'm only off for a few days, I've got to get as much diet cheating done as I can before I go back and Rosalie kicks my tail!"

"That's right, darlin', we've got to get some meat on those bones of yours before you snap right in two!" Mama said.

Edward came up on my side and I grinned at him. He was on his cell phone typing away and I knew exactly who was on the other end of that conversation. I nudged Alice and she peeked over before throwing me a wink.

"Feed me first, then we'll make a plan later."

0-0-0-0-0-0

**LMW:** Hello hello! Thanks for hanging in there with us! RL has been crazy for me, and I'm getting ready to make a big move, so don't be worried if the next update takes a while—we're not giving up!

JFI can't give an AN because she says her computer crapped out when in reality she just didn't charge it.

She says thanks, though!

Until next time, Stalkettes!


	34. Fight For Your Right to Party!

**Disclaimer: Twilight is not ours. **

**[ Edward ]**

I was having a really hard time not laughing at Jasper's face. I mean, I get that he is protective of Alice, but it wasn't like she was some three year-old child staying with us. Even though Alice was a grown adult who was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, he was still going to worry over the fact that he had to go to the station today and finish up some things before permanently moving to LA.

"Don't go anywhere super crowded," he mumbled while looking for his keys.

"Alright," I nodded over my coffee cup.

"And don't let Emmett get her drunk." Jasper took a last sip of coffee before putting it in the sink. "She's still asleep so don't wake her up. And tell Emmett that she can-"

"She's an adult, Jasper. We won't take her to the mall and leave her there or get her hopped up on a bunch of drugs. I'll be here all day so just…relax."

My best friend sighed before running his fingers through his hair, leaving his hands on top of his head. "It isn't that I don't trust you guys-I do. It's just…she isn't familiar with Olympia. I don't want anything bad to happen."

I smiled at him. "We'll take care of her. I promise."

He nodded before squeezing my shoulder. "I'm going to go check on her one last time before I leave."

I laughed under my breath and watched as he tip-toed back into his bedroom. Jasper was definitely whipped.

xXxXxXx

Alice twirled around in an extra desk chair, waiting while I hooked her computer up to our wireless network. She had a Skype session that was doubling as a business meeting and hadn't been able to connect properly. To pass the time, Alice had been asking me for embarrassing Jasper stories. So far I had been successful in not telling her any, but Alice Brandon was one persistent little devil.

"Oh come _on_ Edward," she sighed dramatically. "You've known Jasper forever. Just tell me one story!"

I laughed while shaking my head. "Alice, Jasper is my best friend. I've vowed to keep all of his deepest darkest secrets to myself until I die."

"I bet I could get Emmett to tell me."

"You probably could." I nodded. "Emmett and Jasper have a love-hate relationship."

She stopped twirling and looked at me. "What do you mean?"

"They love to hate each other. And hate anyone who doesn't love the other one."

Alice laughed quietly before sitting up and giving me a serious look. "Edward, what's the deal with the website? Jasper said that you haven't updated it in over a month."

I shrugged. "Just not really sure if it's something I should still be doing."

"Because of me?" she asked while reaching over to change the song on my iPod.

"Not just you. I don't want to be expected to update the site with personal information just because I know you or Bella and Rosalie. That isn't fair to any of you. I should probably just sell the site to Angela and let it all go."

Alice folded her legs underneath her. "Well, what if… I dunno. What if I helped you?"

I looked up at her. "Helped me?"

She smiled before shrugging her shoulders. "People know that you know us, right?" When I nodded she continued. "So what if I kind of give you a few 'exclusive' interviews or something, just kind of clear the air of all of the rumors going around."

"Why…why would you want to do that?" I shook my head. "You don't owe any of them an explanation, Alice."

"I know I don't but…okay, this might sound totally crazy but just hear me out."

I leaned back in my chair and looked at her.

"Esme said that people are already bombarding her with wedding questions and Jasper and I really don't want this to be a huge Hollywood type of wedding. So what if you post a few things to validate your credibility, like when we go to LA you can tweet that we'll be somewhere and everyone will know that's it true."

I kept my mouth shut even though I seriously didn't like this idea.

"Then when it gets closer to the wedding you can give out false information to throw everyone off. It really is a brilliant plan."

"Have you talked to Jasper about this?" I asked her.

Alice waved off the question and leaned across me to type in her Skype name and password. "Jasper will know I'm right. He trusts my judgment."

I started to argue with her over something until I heard a dialing noise coming from her computer. I was in the middle of turning the screen towards her when Bella's face filled the monitor. I knew my jaw had hit the floor from surprise but I couldn't do anything but nod when she said my name.

"Hey, B!" Alice waved at the screen. "Listen, I forgot something in Jasper's bedroom so I'll be right back."

Before I could even try to stop her, Alice had jumped out of the chair and closed my bedroom door behind her. Bella and I awkwardly stared at each other for a few seconds before I mentally slapped myself and tried to act less like a social retard.

"Hey," I lifted a hand and smiled. _Yeah, that was really cool, Edward._ I lowered my hand and accidently smacked it against the desk. My fingers throbbed but I tried to smile, acting like it hadn't hurt one bit.

"Oh my God," Bella covered her mouth. "Are you okay? That sounded like it hurt."

I nodded and started to answer but stopped when Bella leaned forward like she was trying to look down at my hand and accidently hit her head against the monitor. She must have it pretty hard because the thing fell to the ground and all I saw was a blank wall.

"Bloody hell!" she yelled out. There was a scramble and a whole bunch of other voices started talking.

"Did you fall down?" that sounded like Jessica.

"Leave my computer alone," Bella whined.

"Who are you Skyping with?" Vicky Tartan picked up her laptop and smiled at the monitor. "It's Edward Cullen!"

"Oh hey, Edward!" Jessica shoved her face into view and waved.

"Um, hi," I smiled and awkwardly waved my hand at them.

"Give me my computer back," Bella said as she tried unsuccessfully to push her two friends away.

"Hey." Vicky pushed against Bella's forehead to move her away. "Edward, tell Jasper to send me a picture of this cousin I'm meeting at the wedding."

I nodded. "Okay?"

"Alright!" Bella yelled. "You two can bugger off!"

There was a scuffle that made me both nervous for and proud of Bella. She eventually got the laptop away from the other two and stomped off to another room. When I heard bed springs creaking, I had to hold on to the arm of my chair and fight away the mental images that instantly came to mind.

"Sorry about them." I looked back at the screen to see Bella lying on her stomach smiling. It was so contagious. She pushed her hair off of her forehead and laughed. "I was expecting Alice…"

"Oh." So she didn't want to Skype with me. I tried not to look disappointed and nodded my head. "I can um…go get her."

I stood up before Bella yelled, "Wait! I…well…we could talk. Until, you know, she comes back."

"Okay." I slowly sat back down.

The two of us sat there, not talking, just looking at each other. She smiled. I smiled. We both looked utterly awkward. It was completely awesome.

Bella giggled before moving her feet in the air, crossing them at her ankles. "Did you finish that book I sent you?"

I nodded and tried to focus on her face, not the naked calf that I could partially see. "I did. My friend Tyler told me about another by the same author it-"

Before I could finish, I was interrupted by my damn iPod playing the one fucking song that was completely more embarrassing than the rest. As the Backstreet Boys starting singing, my hand slapped at the player and eventually knocked it to the floor.

"Oh!" Bella laughed. "I love that song!"

I stopped my attempts at turning off the music and watched as the girl in front of me started singing. She threw her head around while shaking her shoulders.

"I don't care who you are, where you're from…"

All I could do was watch as one of the biggest celebrities in the world sang a cheesy love song at the top of her lungs. Her feet kicked in the air along with the music while her hair fell around her smiling face. I wanted to reach out and tuck it behind her ear and gently run my thumb across her cheek. I wanted to watch her laugh and singing forever. I wanted… her. God, Bella was so fucking perfect.

When the song ended she bit her lip and smiled. "You're coming to the _Shadows_ premiere, right?"

"Yeah, Alice invited all of us."

Bella's long eyelashes fluttered as she looked up at the monitor. "I'll save you a seat by me."

Unless I was a complete idiot and was totally misreading the signs that Bella was giving me, she had to feel something for me, too. It didn't make sense; she could have anyone in the whole wide world, but I was finally beginning to give myself a chance to at least _hope_ that she might pick me.

Bella and I spent another hour talking about various music and books, like we always did. She also told me about the work she had done on the set of _Beer for Hippos_ and we both laughed as she re-enacted her experience with one of the many circus animals on set. As I sat there, watching her giggle and wave her arms around I made myself a promise. The next time I saw Bella Swan I would make a move. Because this was definitely an experience I wasn't willing to miss out on.

xXxXxXx

**[ Emmett ]**

"No pussy footing around Alice Brandon." I laughed when one of her hands flew to her hip and the other flipped me off. We finished stretching before I led her away from our apartment complex. "I'm serious though; if I'm too fast just tell me to slow down. Jasper will kill me if you get lost."

Alice gave me a sweet and innocent smile before she took off running. "See if you can keep up, Emmett!" she yelled over her shoulder.

"Hey!" I ran after her, catching up in a matter of seconds. "Seriously, I don't want Jasper's boot shoved up my ass."

She rolled her eyes but otherwise ignored my comment. I laughed and the two of us continued our jog at a leisurely pace. From the looks of it, Alice Brandon seemed to be a good workout partner. She didn't talk much, challenged me, and she had good taste in music. Yup, the girl was alright.

"So," Alice smiled, her voice slightly out of breath. "Jasper has me; Edward is getting Bella… what's going on with you?"

I spoke too fucking soon. I shook my head and kept running.

"Oh come on, Emmett. I've seen the way you look at Rosalie."

My foot nearly tripped over a rock in the road but I caught myself. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Alice."

She shrugged and kept running. "Well, fine then. Keep your secrets. But I will tell you that Rosalie Hale is a hard nut to crack."

A small laugh escaped my mouth before I could stop myself. Alice kept talking, ignoring my twelve-year-old-boy sense of humor.

"She likes everyone to think she is a hardass but she really isn't. Her life before she came to LA wasn't all sunshine and daisies, okay? It took months for her to trust me and I'm one of her best friends."

I frowned, wondering if Alice was referring to Royce King. Rosalie had briefly mentioned him in one of our "secret" conversations, but hadn't ever gone into great detail about any of it. I knew he was a total dick and that if he ever met him I would probably snap his neck in half. But, I wasn't supposed to know anything personal about Miss Rosalie Hale, so I tried to keep my face neutral and kept moving. Alice kept talking about Rosalie's need for personal space, obviously thinking that she was giving me inside information. Most of what she had told me I'd already figured out on my own.

"She asked if you were coming to the premiere, you know." Alice quickly looked at me before focusing back on the road in front of her. "Maybe the two of you can hang out while you're there."

I tried so fucking hard to keep an "I don't give a shit" look on my face, but a smile broke out when I realized what she had just told me. Rosalie had asked about me, specifically. She hadn't grouped me together with Jasper and Edward. That had to count for something, right?

Alice caught the look on my face and smiled. "Aw, Em! I knew you cared!"

She playfully hit my shoulder before picking up speed. I rolled my eyes to make it seem like I didn't care and ran faster to keep up with her. Inside though, I was screaming like a pre-teen girl at a Justin Bieber concert. Maybe when we went back to LA, I would get more than me feeling Rosalie up against the wall of an empty hotel room. Maybe she would drop part of her guard and finally let me in. We ran the rest of the way in a comfortable silence.

"Oh come on, Emmett!" Alice was ahead of me, running backwards. "You're really going to let a girl beat you?"

I flipped her off but picked up the pace until I noticed a car in the parking lot that made me stop dead in my tracks. "Oh, fuck me," I panted.

Alice walked back to where I was, checking to see if I was okay. "What's wrong? Did you pull a muscle?"

I shook my head and put my hands on my hips. "If I asked you to run another two miles, would you?"

She laughed before shaking her head. "Hell no, I'm starving and Jasper should be home in a little bit. I need to shower and…" her eyes followed mine and stared at the car parked next to Edward's. "What's going on?"

I didn't have to answer her. Ann was walking away from our front door with Edward following behind her, looking like someone had just stolen his favorite toy.

"Is that who I think it is?" Alice practically yelled. I cursed under my breath when Ann and Edward looked up at us.

I tried to grab Alice's arm but she shook me off and ran towards the apartment.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" I ran after her, hoping that Jasper's ass would show up sooner rather than later.

Ann crossed her arms across her chest after pushing a huge pair of sunglasses on top of her head. "I can't believe the rumors are true."

"What are you doing here?" Alice yelled at her before looking at Edward. "Are you okay?"

My brother started stuttering an answer but Ann's obnoxious laughter interrupted him.

"Oh please," she snorted. "I cannot believe that Alice-freaking-Brandon gives a shit about a pervy freak like Edward Cullen. He is obsessed with your movies, you know that, right?"

"Edward happens to be a very dear friend of mine, _Ann_," Alice said the other girl's name like it was some sort of venereal disease. "Now answer my fucking question-what are you doing here?"

Ann tossed her hair over her shoulder and shrugged. "I was looking for Jasper."

_Wrong answer, lady._ I gave Edward a worried glance before moving closer to Alice.

Alice took another step towards the other girl. "Why?"

"I don't really see how that's any of your business," Ann shook her head.

"None of my business?" Alice laughed manically. "He's my fiancé!"

I put a hand on Alice's shoulder to try and stop this from escalating. "Why don't we all just calm down. Ann, Jasper isn't here. If you wanna talk to him, I can tell him you came by."

"The hell you will!" Alice spun around to look at me.

"You can't keep me from talking to him. God, just because you're some semi-famous celebrity you think that you can just order people around." Ann took a step towards Alice. "I have news for you, honey. No one here, besides freak show Edward, wants your autograph. Go back to LA where you belong."

"I'm gonna autograph your face with my fist!" Alice yelled at her.

With reflexes faster than I knew existed, Alice lunged for Ann and had her in some sort of choke hold in a matter of seconds. This wasn't some girly cat fight; Alice Brandon knew how to kick some serious ass. I was torn between being impressed and feeling sorry for Ann. And worrying that Jasper would completely kick _my_ ass for letting this happen.

"Emmett, do something!" Edward yelled at me.

I reached forward and tried to pry Alice away from the girl cowering beneath her but it wasn't working. She just kept punching and kicking any inch of Ann that she could reach.

"Edward, get Ann!" I grunted with the effort that it took to haul Alice away from them. I tightened my grip around her waist and practically lifted her up off the ground. She struggled against my grip, legs kicking in the air.

"Emmett, I swear to God!" Alice yelled. "Let me go!"

"You'll thank me later," I grunted.

Ann started screaming threats at Alice, which only made the whole fucking thing worse. Edward was holding her back by locking his arms around her torso while I ignored Alice's flying elbows and took a few precautionary steps backwards.

Tires screeching against the asphalt brought all of us to a stop. Alice huffed and tried to pull away from my arms as Jasper ran towards us.

"What the…" his eyes looked at Alice who was tomato red and holding a clump of brown hair, then to Ann who was still trying to escape from Edward's hold. "What the fuck happened?"

Edward remained silent while I shook my head. "Your girl knows how to brawl, Jasper."

He gave me a look that clearly said "fuck you" before taking Alice from my arms and throwing her over his shoulder. As he walked off he pointed an accusatory finger at his evil ex-girlfriend.

"I don't know what the hell you're doing here, but you need to leave before I call the fucking cops."

Ann started yelling at Jasper but he ignored her and continued walking towards the front door, holding Alice in place as she struggled against his shoulder. Before he could shut the front door behind him I saw her flip Ann off and couldn't help but be a little proud. Alice was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

xXxXxXxXx

**[ Jasper ]**

"This is not good," I muttered to myself as I turned the corner and saw Ann's car sitting in the driveway. But nothing could ever prepare me for the scene that I saw as I jumped out of the car. Emmett had Alice and she was swinging around in the air while Edward had Ann twisted in between his arms and words were just flying.

I was pissed. What right did Ann have to come here in the first place? I knew whatever she said had set Alice off. I chucked her over my shoulder and headed towards the house, knowing that Emmett and Edward would get rid of Ann. I kicked the door shut with my boot and walked towards the living room, dropping Alice onto the couch.

"What in the Heavens was going on out there?"

Alice's eyes narrowed and she shook her head at no one in particular. "Jasper Whitlock, I swear to all that is holy that if I ever, and I mean ever, see that woman again, she's going to need some Rogaine to grow back the hair that I'm gonna yank out of her head."

"Alice, what has gotten into you?"

She stood up and started pacing. "How could you be with someone like that? How could you let something so vile, so horrid, be a part of your life? You should have heard the things she was saying about Edward. I wanted to punch her right in her unlady-parts."

I ran my hand through my hair and watched as she punched the air. She was riled up. "Alice, it's over. I swear I haven't talked to her since we broke up. You need to calm down some, honey."

She growled and looked up at me with wild eyes. "I _hate_ her, Jasper. She's caused nothing but pain and aggravation for you and Edward and Emmett. I'm not going to let her try to ruin something good going for y'all. God, what I wouldn't give to be in a cage for five minutes with her. I'd use my _Windstraightener_ moves all over that bitch!"

I grabbed her hand and pulled her towards me. I cringed as I saw her eye starting to swell up. It was going to be one nasty bruise and I hoped Esme didn't come after me because of it. You couldn't underestimate any of those women.

"Sugar, you've got to calm down. It's over with. She's not going to bother us anymore. I love you and you've got to let this one go. It's done."

She sighed and nodded. "Alright, but that won't stop me from getting a Voodoo doll."

I held back a laugh. "Come on, Alice. I don't freak out about your ex's like this."

"What ex's?" she asked innocently.

I stared at her blankly for a minute before answering. "The Jonas."

She rolled her eyes and stared at her fingertips. "You know, just because we got together a few times to talk about music doesn't mean we were dating. Gosh, there's got to be more proof than that. Pics or it didn't happen," she sighed dramatically.

I raised an eyebrow. "Where'd you hear that line from?"

"What line?"

"Pics or it didn't happen."

She shrugged. "I don't know, I've been saying it for awhile."

I smiled at her. Whether she knew it or not, she fit in with me and the guys like a missing puzzle piece.

"Well, let's get you some ice for that eye. Rosalie is going to kill me for letting this happen to you."

Alice smiled but cringed when I touched the corner of her eye. "Leave all that to me. I have a plan."

I grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and handed it to her. "What are you going to tell everyone?"

She hopped up onto the counter and swung her legs, occasionally tapping me with her foot. "I'll just tell them that someone tried to steal my ukulele and I had to chase them down the street. Not only will it be interesting enough to distract them, but it'll give me some street cred., too."

I shook my head as I leaned in to kiss her. "I love you, you know that?"

She smiled sweetly at me with a glimmer in her eye. "Hold on tight, cowboy. You're in for the ride of your life with me."

I chuckled. "Bring it on."

xXxXxXx

**JFI: **And we're back! Thanks for being so patient during our break. Updates still might be a little slow but we hope to get back into some sort of groove. So the boys are going back to LA, huh? Wonder what sort of mayhem they can cause this time.

**LMW:** hey gang! Sorry for the hold up, but things have been hectic since I moved to NY. But now I've learned I am moving again within the next month! Please hang tight and be dears and don't bug Miss JFI too much, k? Hit me up on the twitter melsvfp if you wanna gripe and I'll keep you updated on my crazy life!


	35. Out of the Shadows

**Disclaimer: We wish we could say we owned Twilight, but we don't.**

**[ Edward ]**

"Isn't he cute?"

Bella shoved her phone in my face and it took my eyes a second to focus on the picture she was showing me. It was her cuddled up with a mangy looking dog, the one she had shot a few scenes with during _Beer for Hippos_. I nodded while noticing that all of the sun she had gotten while shooting on the outdoor set looked incredibly good on her.

"I think I want to adopt him," she said quietly. "But I'm not sure that I could handle having a dog right now."

"Why?" Rosalie's loud voice reminded me that we weren't alone. In fact, we were surrounded by people.

Jasper and Alice were practically sharing the same chair, giving each other stupid grins that made you want to gag and be jealous all at once. We were all having lunch together, supposedly to discuss their wedding, but hadn't done more than find out that they were getting married at Jasper's parents' back in Texas. When Vicky Tartan and Jessica Stanley showed up everyone ended up getting off topic. With all of the waiters walking around, I figured that was probably better for Alice and Jasper. The last thing we needed was _Alright_ magazine to print details about their wedding.

Rosalie waved her fork at Bella. "If you got a dog it could keep Koala company while we film."

"Jasper and I are getting a pet," Alice piped up. Jasper shook his head before rolling his eyes. That earned him a playful elbow to the rib cage. "Don't act like you aren't excited, Jasper Whitlock, you got all gooey and cute when I showed you the pictures."

"Jaspy got 'gooey and cute'?" Emmett shook his head. "Glad I missed that."

"Keep on calling me Jaspy and see what happens, asshole."

My brother gave him a highly inappropriate hand gesture before going back to catching pieces of bread in his mouth that Jessica and Vicky were taking turns throwing at him.

Rosalie rolled her eyes before sighing disdainfully. "What are you getting, AB? A cat?"

Alice shook her head. "Not telling."

That led to everyone guessing what kind of pet they were getting and thankfully allowed Bella and I to return to our semi-private conversation.

I smiled at her. "You excited about tonight?"

She shrugged before playing with her silverware. "These premieres are always so… strange. The fact that people have been camping out for over a week just to meet us-that's intense."

I nodded even though I had no way to understand what she was feeling. I had always been on the other side. I would have been one of those intense fans that had camped out; hell I _had_ camped out. Remembering how nervous I had been the night before the convention in Vancouver made me smile. Who would have thought that all these months later I would be where I was now?

"I just wish there was a way to tune out all of the screaming without looking like I'm scared to death. That's when people take pictures of me and say things like, 'she doesn't appreciate her fame' or 'Bella Swan hates her fans.' Which is completely untrue."

I watched as she twisted her napkin between her fingers, obviously agitated. Without thinking, I reached out and put a hand on her arm. "You just need something to distract you while you're walking the carpet."

"A distraction?" Bella smiled before looking up at me. "Like you?"

My heart skipped a beat before continuing in a steady rhythm that was twice as fast as normal. We sat there smiling at each other until we noticed that Jasper and Alice had basically jumped across the table. Reluctantly, I turned to see what had happened.

"Arms up!" Vicky yelled at my brother.

Emmett was coughing loudly, his fist banging on the table, while Rosalie slapped his back. Once he had effectively dislodged the piece of bread that had gotten stuck in his throat, he received a slap to the back of the head instead.

"What the hell!" He croaked.

Rosalie smiled before sitting back in her chair. "Sorry, I missed."

xXxXxXx

I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. There were people everywhere and mixed with the hysterical screaming and flashing camera lights, it was just way too much. But with pure grace and elegance, Bella, Rosalie and Alice walked down the red carpet. They smiled and waved, posed for pictures, did interviews, and signed autographs. How the hell did they manage all of this?

I'd always admired them for how they handled themselves, but seeing how they reacted in this environment made me respect them even more. Alice, who always seemed so at ease during these events, kept giving me reassuring smiles. I tried to return them but I'm pretty sure I just ended up looking ill.

At least my brother seemed to be having the time of his life. Even though Emmett was nowhere near celebrity status, he was walking down the red carpet and talking to fans. He autographed things for people and even posed for pictures. He was entirely ridiculous but at least people seemed to enjoy it.

"Humming."

The warm breath that I felt on the back of my neck made me shiver. I slowly turned around to find Bella smiling at me. She looked absolutely beautiful in the white dress she was wearing, even if the overprotective side of me wanted to cover her legs with my jacket. Bella was short, hardly reaching five feet four inches, but her legs were… so incredibly perfect. I swallowed and tried to keep myself from staring at them.

"What?" The word came out in a croaky stutter.

"That's how I've been distracting myself," she explained before pointing to her ears and shrugging. "I've been humming all night to drown out the sound and it's actually working a little."

It made me proud that I had been able to help with her anxiety level but we were once again interrupted when my brother grabbed my arm.

"Excuse us," he muttered before dragging me a few feet away.

"Emmett, what the hell?" I yanked my arm back. "You can't just-"

"Who is that?" He spun me around and pointed to some guy talking to Rosalie. "That's Alexander McFord, isn't it?"

I nodded and noticed that Bella had turned to look at them too. "Yeah. Why?"

My brother cussed under his breath before stomping away. I ignored his outburst, chalking it up to jealousy over the rumors that floated around about Alexander and Rosalie being more than just friends, and turned back to Bella. She gave me another nervous smile before looking over her shoulder when Esme called her name.

Bella twisted her fingers together. "I've got to go…"

I nodded as she walked away, wishing that I would have told her how beautiful she looked. She had probably heard that several times tonight and hearing it once more from me wouldn't mean a thing to her, but still, I wanted Bella to hear it.

Watching from a distance, I kept my eyes on Bella's progression through the last few interviews that she had to do. She was charming and witty, laughing at the lamest jokes while making the reporter feel comfortable. Even if she couldn't see it, everyone else could. Bella Swan wasn't one of these fly by night celebrities that got famous by having ten children or making an ass of themselves on some reality TV show. Bella was part of a dying breed in Hollywood. She was a genuine movie star, using her ability to make movies that counted to her, not to make money. Bella was an artist and it showed.

"Ready to go in?"

I vaguely nodded at Jasper before turning and following him inside.

xXxXxXx

It wasn't until I was sitting in the theater that I realized I was about to see the next _CA _movie. Normally I would have been beside myself with excitement, but sadly the only thing I could focus on was the empty seat next to mine.

I drummed my fingers on the armrest and watched as people filled the seats around us. Apparently Emmett and Vicky Tartan had become good friends because the two of them were laughing obnoxiously at some joke he had made about Jasper's cousin. Their laughter didn't put a dent in the excited chatter around us.

"She's changing clothes," Alice said quietly from the chair on my other side. "Bella never stays in her premiere dresses for very long. Don't worry, Edward. She'll be here soon."

Her words of comfort didn't last long. Especially when the lights dimmed and the movie started playing. I couldn't even focus on anything other than the empty seat next to mine.

"Edward."

I looked around when my name was whispered and found Jessica leaning towards me, motioning with her hands that I was supposed to follow her. Alice smirked when I tried to step over her and Jasper's legs, and thankfully, my best friend caught me before I could land face first on the floor when I nearly tripped over his foot.

Once we reached the lobby, Jessica spun around and her hands flew to my chest to stop me. When I noticed how she was looking at me, I took a step back.

"Don't mess with her head, alright?"

I frowned. "What?"

Jessica sighed before crossing her arms across her stomach. "This isn't something she normally does. Nigel really…well I won't get into that. Just promise me that you won't screw Bella over, alright?"

"I wouldn't do that, Jessica. I…well…Bella isn't like anyone else."

"Exactly." Jessica nodded. "So don't fuck this up."

I swallowed thickly before muttering, "Alright."

The girl in front of me finally smiled. "Bella is outside in the car. She never can sit through an entire premiere." Jessica playfully rolled her eyes. "Anyway, she asked me to come get you. So…yeah. Don't fuck this up."

I smiled when she playfully hit my arm. "Thanks."

Outside I found Bella sitting in the back of the car she'd arrived in. She had changed into a pair of jeans with a tank top and was chewing on her thumbnail while her leg bounced up and down. Anxious energy was practically radiating off of her body.

"Hey."

I smiled and got in the car, shutting the door behind me. "Hey."

She was quiet for a minute before blurting out, "I shouldn't have had Jess go get you. You'll miss the movie and I know how much you were looking forward to it. God, I'm sorry. I'm just so…boggled and…"

Tentatively, I reached across the seat for her hand. "Bella," I said slowly.

She took a deep breath before looking at me. I made sure that she was looking in my eyes before continuing.

"You look beautiful," I whispered.

Her cheeks blushed a pretty pink before the corner of her mouth turned into a smile. "You liked the dress?"

I nodded. "I did, but I mean right now. You look beautiful right now."

Bella's smile got bigger, her blush deeper. When her eyes held mine, I realized that this was it. This was the moment I'd been waiting for. I watched as she nervously pulled on the bottom of her shirt and tried to gather the courage that I knew it would take for me to do this. Taking a deep breath, I decided to just go with it.

"Bella, can I-"

I was silenced by the sudden movement that led to Bella's lips being attached to mine. Her hand squeezed my fingers while her lips gently brushed against mine, leaving nothing more than a whisper against my skin. For such a small kiss, it packed a powerful punch. My legs were tingling, my hands were shaking, and my heart was pounding.

Bella was close enough that our noses were still touching and her breath fanned against my mouth and chin. I slowly opened my eyes to see that hers were still closed. I took a second to commit this moment to memory, taking in every single detail that I could before I gently pushed a piece of hair off of her cheek and tucked it behind her ear.

"Bella," I whispered.

"Hmm?" she smiled and squeezed my hand.

"Can I take you on a date?"

Bella's eyes slowly opened and told me what the answer probably was. When her lips kissed mine, I knew that it was a definite yes.

xXxXx

**[ Emmett ]**

Some people were just made for the limelight. I was one of those people.

No one knew who the fuck I was but that didn't stop them from screaming hysterically when I waved at them or stopped for pictures. Some chick asked me to autograph her arm, which I willingly did. Another asked to see my underwear. It was an odd request but I pulled down the waist of my pants to show them the waistband of my boxer-briefs because we all need a little support now and then-and winked when she took my picture.

So all was fine and dandy until Rosalie showed up. We had gotten into an argument earlier that week because I wouldn't let her "dress" me for the premiere. She was hot and I would probably pine the rest of my life away for her, but that didn't mean that I was going to let her dress me like some sort of social reject. Jasper had been dumb enough to fall for it at the MTV Movie Awards and Edward had followed in his footsteps; his red suit was proof that Rosalie was not stylist material. I had told her that she was more than welcome to _undress _me and that led to her leaving a small bruise on the underside of my arm where she had pinched me. Rosalie made up for it though when she let me shove my tongue in her mouth in a sensual way, aka, make out with her. But then she showed up tonight with the lamest excuse for a man, ever.

Alexander McFord was a tool. He called himself an actor but the truth was that every role he took was the same damn thing. He always played the poor little rich boy that ended up being a huge man-whore and caused all sorts of trouble. Funnily enough, that was his reputation in real life, too. Plus, with his freaking curly ass hair it looked like he had pubes on his head. Like I said, he was a tool.

The rumors were that they were "just friends" but the way he was holding onto her waist and looking at her chest didn't shout "friend zone" to me. If they were fucking around then whatever was going on between me and Rosalie was definitely coming to an end. I didn't enjoy sloppy seconds, even if you were a fucking movie star.

So, because I am an adult and make rational decisions, I decided to flirt it up with Vicky Tartan. She was completely in love with Jasper's cousin even though they hadn't met yet, and all of the flirty-dirty behavior between us was nothing more than words. I wasn't her type and she wasn't mine. But Vicky cussed like a sailor and could probably drink me under the table. In my mind that equaled a badass chick that would provide the necessary tools to make Rosalie Hale jealous.

It was obviously working because she kind of glared at me when Vicky and I were walking into the theater. I smiled when I saw Lance Bass talking to Alice and gave his shoulder a friendly squeeze before yelling, "Sup NSYNC?"

xXxXxXx

I was completely engrossed in the movie when my phone started vibrating. At first I thought it might have been Vicky because she had been texting me obscene jokes earlier, but was surprised when I saw Rosalie's number. I leaned down in my seat and stealthily tried to read the text she had sent me.

_Meet me outside._

I shoved my phone back in my pocket and shook my head. Did she think I was just some sort of puppy that would follow her around? I mean fuck! I had pride, damnit! I stared at the screen for another thirty seconds before hopping up and basically running up the aisle to the doors that lead to the lobby.

When I got outside, Rosalie was looking at me through the cracked window of a limousine. I took a deep breath before opening the door and joining her inside the car. She locked the doors behind me.

"How can I help you, Miss Hale?"

Her arms crossed across her stomach before she looked at me. "Are you purposefully trying to make me mad?"

I laughed, really loud. "Me?" Shaking my head, I turned in the seat to face her. "Did I show up with some bitchass female and ignore you all night? No ma'am, I didn't. I also didn't slap you on the back of the head after you nearly died!"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "You didn't nearly die, Emmett! And Alex is a friend."

"Friend my ass," I grumbled.

"Look, Vicky is my friend. I don't want her to get caught up in this."

I waved my hand between the two of us. "And what is _this_? I would love to know that myself."

She sighed before leaning back against the door. "Emmett, don't."

"Don't what?" I asked angrily. "I've been pretty fucking patient, Rosalie! I don't think it's too much to ask that you not prance around LA while Alexander McFord oogles your ass!"

"It isn't like I enjoy ignoring you!" she yelled back at me. "Do you think I like not being able to be myself in public? Do you not think that it would have been nice to hold onto your hand tonight when people were screaming at me?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Why couldn't you? I would have gladly walked you down that red carpet, Rosalie. I would have held your hand and your fucking tiny little purse thing and never complained. But you're the one that never lets me in! You're the one that keeps reminding me that no one can know about this. So tell me which one you want, princess. You can't have it both ways."

Like all of the other times that the two of us ended up in compromising positions, she suddenly came flying at me. I mumbled around her kisses as she ripped the jacket off of my shoulders and down my arms.

"Hey." I half-heartedly pulled away from her but stopped when her hands undid the buttons on my shirt.

My hesitation didn't slow her down. "Don't tell me no, Emmett."

Rosalie's nails drug down my chest and over my nipples, causing both pleasure and pain. I leaned my head back against the seat and watched as her hands slid under my white t-shirt. The feeling of her hands on my skin was nearly enough to make me throw her down onto the floor of the car and lick every inch of her skin.

"Please," she whispered. Her lips kissed my chin.

I raised an eyebrow and looked down at her. "You're just friends?"

She nodded and kissed my bottom lip.

My head leaned back, away from her. "And has he ever…you know…seen you like this?"

Rosalie smiled, the kind of smile that made my stomach twist in anticipation, and shook her head. She inched closer to me, her legs straddling my lap, while she pushed my button up shirt off of my arms.

"He's never even kissed me." Her voice was soft while her eyes focused on my lips before looking back up at me. "He's never touched me, like this."

My gut instinct was to scream at the top of my lungs that Rosalie Hale was mine. But instead of acting like a caveman and throwing her over my shoulder, I settled for attacking her neck and shoulders with my lips.

"These feathers have got to go," I mumbled against her collarbone. When she pulled away from me, I casually spit a few feathers out of my mouth. "Not that you don't look beautiful but… yeah. I like you better naked."

She laughed before unzipping the back of her dress. "You've never even seen me fully naked."

"I have a vivid imagination." I helped her pull the feathery mess over her head, careful not to tear it. We both had to make an appearance at the after party and Rosalie couldn't show up with a torn to shit dress.

So there I was; shirtless with a stark-ass naked Rosalie Hale sat on my lap. It should have surprised me that she had gone without a stitch of underwear but I was too preoccupied by the fact that she was pulling a small foil wrapper out of her purse.

I cocked an eyebrow before I looked at her. "You a Girl Scout or something?"

"What?" she laughed.

"You're awfully prepared for such a spur of the moment decision." I nodded to the condom she was holding. "Not that I mind."

Her fingers started unbuttoning my pants while she gave me a small smile. "We both knew this was going to happen."

You had to admire the girl's confidence but I wasn't sure if her intentions should have made me feel like some sort of sexual ninja or like an easy whore. My brain told me to slow things down because shit between us was already complicated as hell. My dick, on the other hand, was telling me that Rosalie Hale was sitting on my lap without any clothes on trying to take my pants off. My dick won.

"Is there a driver up front?"

Rosalie shook her head and sort of yelped when I grabbed the underside of her thighs and turned us to where she was sitting on the seat and I was kneeling in front of her. I smiled against the inside of her thigh when she started squirming and tightened my hands around her hips to hold her in place.

I hadn't done this in several months and even though the techniques were the same, the girl that I was holding onto wasn't. Rosalie wasn't just another faceless partner that I hooked up with. She was more, and I wanted something completely different with her. With other girls I would slide between their legs with nothing more than the intention of getting them off. With Rosalie, I was physically kneeling in front of her, worshiping every single inch of her body.

It started with her knees and then her thighs. God had seriously outdone himself when he created her legs because they were fucking amazing. But nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, would ever compare to the distinctively feminine parts of her body. And I had to be luckiest son of a bitch alive because here she was, the most perfect woman alive, offering all of it up to me.

"Emmett," Rosalie moaned my name softly. I would have thought that she was just voicing her enjoyment but when her fingers pulled against my hair, I looked up at her. Her eyes were wide and wild looking, making my stomach do the excited-twisting thing.

I licked my lips before asking, "Tell me what you want."

Rosalie leaned forward, pushing me back onto the floor of the limousine before attacking my mouth with her tongue. It was kind of kinky that she seemed to enjoy the taste of herself on my lips, but what absolutely drove me insane was the feeling of her naked chest pressed against mine. I wrapped my arms around her back, holding her against me.

She allowed that for a few seconds before I had to reluctantly let her go so that she could remove the only clothing I still had on. The faint blush that covered her cheeks made me fall even more in love with her. Rosalie Hale could call me for phone sex, could pack condoms in her purse with the intent to have sex with me, and could even sit on my lap completely naked, but she still blushed like crazy while putting the damn condom on my dick. It was fucking adorable and incredibly sexy.

After she finished, Rosalie crawled over my body and I held on to her hips, smiling up at her. She shook her head and laughed. "Why are you smiling like that?"

My hands squeezed her. "Because you're incredibly beautiful."

The blush deepened but before I could fully appreciate it, Rosalie took me completely inside of her, making every single coherent thought that I could have, should have had, disappear. I couldn't do anything besides hold on to her hips and remind myself that coming thirty seconds after the whole thing started was not acceptable.

"God, Emmett."

I nodded. "Yeah."

Did I know what I was agreeing to? Hell no! But it didn't matter because it was _my_ name she was moaning.

Considering that I was trying extremely hard not to ruin all of this by being a three-pump-chump, it was amazing that I had the ability to roll the two of us over without interrupting the rhythm that we'd set. Rosalie didn't complain, she just held on to my shoulders and wrapped her legs around my hips while her moaning got progressively louder.

"Baby you've got to…Holy fuck." I had meant to warn her about being quiet, but when she arched her back off of the floor and pushed her hips up against mine I forgot what I was going to say.

In two point three seconds we went from sex to fucking. There was sweat and moaning that mixed with the sound of our bodies slapping together. I wouldn't have been surprised if the vehicle hadn't been rocking back and forth with our movements.

With Rosalie's nails digging into my back and her teeth attached to my shoulder, we both came in a series of spastic jerks and grunting noises that were muffled by the gasping breaths that we were trying to take.

"That…" Rosalie smiled, keeping her eyes closed. "Wow."

I kissed her shoulder before rolling onto my side. When her eyes opened and she met my gaze, I realized how incredibly stupid I was. This was meant to just be sex and even if it wasn't slow and romantic, like all of the movies made it out to be, this was anything but "just sex" to me. This wasn't infatuation anymore. I knew she was a complete pain in the ass ninety percent of the time, but my feelings for her never changed or wavered. Even with all of the complications that stood between us, I loved her. I fucking loved Rosalie Hale.

"I…" My heart was pounding in my chest. "Rosalie, I…"

She sat up and shook her head. "Don't, Emmett."

When she reached for her dress I carefully took her hand. "Rosalie, I love you."

Her eyes closed for a second before she leaned forward and gently kissed my lips.

"You can't love me, Emmett. You just… can't."

I watched as she carefully pulled her feathery material back over her head. Once she was dressed, she gave me a sad smile before opening the door and stepping back out into the world where she was Rosalie Hale, Hollywood celebrity, and I was still Emmett Cullen, the idiot who had fallen in love with her.

xXxXxXx

**LMW:** I don't know about y'all but this chapter took me from awing, to cheering, to omg-ing, to oh no! Thanks for the continued supports through reviews, retweets, and recommendations. It really means a lot to us that you're still hanging around for the ride!

**JFI:** Poor Emmers… If I didn't know what the hell was going to happen in this story I would be pissed as hell at Rosalie Hale. Anyways, thanks for all of the continued support and love.


	36. Bingo!

**Disclaimer: After all this time, we still don't own it.**

**[ Emmett ]**

There was one problem with hotel mini-bars and that was that the fucking bottles were way too small. Ignoring my brother's disapproving look, I twisted open another bottle and emptied it into my mouth. After swallowing, I tossed the empty container behind me and reached for another one.

"You've been hitting the bottle pretty hard the last few days, Emmett. Are you okay?"

I nodded my head to answer Edward's question and gave a rather large belch before speaking. "I'm peachy keen, Eduardo. How are you?"

He sat on the edge of his bed and tied his shoe before answering. "I'm nervous."

Another bottle got emptied before I gave him the dumbest advice ever. "Don't be. Bella Swan is just a normal person. She likes you and you're…well, I do believe that you are way past the _liking_ stage, so just relax and be yourself."

My brother nodded at my advice and I had to take another drink to swallow back the sour truth that was threatening to ruin this whole thing with him and Bella. I wanted to warn him that she was, in fact, a celebrity. I wanted to tell him that all women, with the exception of our mother and Mama Whitlock, were just various forms of Satan with tits and vaginas. I wanted to tell him how falling in love was the stupidest thing that anyone could ever do because life wasn't a fucking fairy tale. Not everyone got the divine romance that Jasper and Alice had and the sooner he realized that, the better off he would be. But, he had been dreaming about a date with Bella Swan for years, and even if I was a bitter-as-fuck asshole, I couldn't hurt my little brother like that.

"You'll be okay by yourself, right?"

"Oh yeah," I nodded while he straightened his shirt; I tilted the miniature bottle of vodka in his direction. "Have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

He gave me a smile before leaving me with my misery and the half empty mini-bar as company. I glared at the tiny, empty bottles around me and shoved them off of the bed and onto the floor before opening another one. I toasted to absolutely nothing and poured the clear liquid down my throat. The empty bottle joined his friends on the floor.

I was actually looking forward to a little solitude tonight. Since the disaster that was the _Shadows_ premiere, I'd been forced to accompany my brother and Jasper to a multitude of bullshit activities that always included Rosalie. I'd actually been thinking about trying to fly back to Washington without Edward, but Alice had arranged for all of us to get fitted for our fucking tuxedos for their wedding. So I'd sucked it up for my best friend and endured two days of absolute hell. Tonight everyone was off doing their own thing and I was left to entertain myself. I would be hungover tomorrow on our flight back home, but puking in the little bag that the airlines provided would be way better than enduring another second with Rosalie-fucking-Hale.

Maybe it was better this way. I mean, honestly, what the hell did I think would happen? That Rosalie would tell me that she loved me, too? That I would move to LA and try to fit into her world full of celebrities and shit? I'd been so hesitant to sign a contract with either one of the schools that had offered me coaching positions, but now I knew that there wasn't anything else for me to do. Jasper and Alice had found a house in LA and would be moving into it next week. Edward and Alice had been talking about him doing a bunch of work for the band's website and I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up moving to LA-especially if this thing with Bella worked out. So that left me in Washington living a life that could probably be considered mediocre compared to my brother's and Jasper's. I would be completely fine with it, though, because really, what other choice did I have? I could move to LA with Edward and run the risk of having to see Rosalie on a damn near daily basis. Wouldn't that just be the fucking icing on the cake that was my life?

I swallowed another drink to dissolve the bitterness in my throat and glared at the door when someone started knocking. I wasn't a bit surprised by who was standing on the other side.

"Emme-"

I interrupted Rosalie. "What the fuck do you want?"

She sighed before crossing her arms across her stomach. "I wanted to talk to you before you left tomorrow and-"

"So talk," I interrupted again.

She watched me take another drink before speaking. "Can we please do this inside? I would really hate for someone to overhear us."

"Oh right." I nodded and left the door wide open as I walked back to the bar. "Wouldn't want any part of our knowing each other to be made public, would we? That would be a fucking disaster."

I heard the door shut but didn't bother looking up.

"You aren't being fair, Emmett! You don't know how hard this is for me!"

I slammed the refrigerator door closed. "Right, because I'm the one that left you, naked, on the floor of a limousine, seconds after you admitted your feelings for me."

"From the very beginning I was up front with you!" Rosalie yelled at me. "I told you that I couldn't be in a relationship with you, Emmett! I didn't trick you into anything or try to-"

"You're right, you did, but_ I_ told you from day one that I wasn't interested in playing these games! Each and every fucking time you were the one to come at me! You're the one that kissed me in that bathroom and again before we left after Comic Con!" She tried to speak over me, but I covered her mouth with my hand. "You're also the one that drunk called me for a phone sex booty call, and the one that initiated the sex in the back of that fucking car! So don't pretend that I am the bad guy here, Rosalie. I have never asked you for anything else than to be with me!"

She shoved my hand away from her face and pushed on my chest, making me lose my balance and fall back against the bar.

"You asked me for the one thing that I couldn't give you!" Rosalie yelled. "Do you think that I… that I liked hurting you, Emmett? That I liked not being able to tell you…"

I watched as she shook her head and tried to walk away from me. I grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards me. "Tell me what?"

She pulled her arm away from. "Just drop it."

"I have a fucking right to know!" I moved in front of her as she tried to walk away and could have sworn that Rosalie was on the verge of crying. I lowered my voice and tried to calm down. "Please just…I want to understand why."

Her blue eyes were watery with tears that she was trying to keep from falling. "I can't tell you why, Emmett."

I sighed before letting go of her arm and stepping away from her. I was so fucking tired of trying to get her to open up to me.

Rosalie slowly shook her head, looking down at the floor. "People…wouldn't…"

My heart clenched and my stomach fell to the floor at the realization of what she was telling me. Although she hadn't finished her sentence, I knew what she was getting at. People wouldn't ever _get_ the two of us together. How could they? She was…well, she Rosalie Hale. And who the fuck was I? Just a nobody that she'd had fun with for a few months and that was it.

"I get it. Don't want to get caught slumming or anything, right?"

She quickly shook her head. "That isn't what I-"

"You need to leave." I looked away when the tears started running down her cheeks and pulled away from her when she tried to hold on to my hands. "Leave, Rosalie. Now."

"Emmett…. Please."

"LEAVE!" I yelled at her.

She took a hesitant step away from me. "I didn't-"

Tired of all of the games and everything else that was associated with her, I quickly walked to the door and held it open for her. "You and I have nothing left to say to each other. I'll see you in a few weeks for the wedding. After that, I don't…this is over, Rosalie."

I stared at the floor as she walked past me and even after she'd left and the door was shut, my eyes couldn't stop staring at the pattern in the carpet. It took me a few minutes to realize that I was crying and even though I felt the tears on my face and in my eyes, it caught me by surprise.

"I haven't cried since Mom," my voice spoke to an empty hotel room.

I slowly turned around and leaned back against the door, sliding down it until I landed on the floor. I have no idea how long I sat there, just that when Edward tried to come back inside, he seemed surprised that I was still awake.

"Are you still drunk?" he asked me.

"No." I shook my head and got onto the couch, turning my back towards him as I lay down. "No, I'm completely sober."

xXxXxXx

**[ Edward ]**

Never in my life would I have thought that Isabella Marie Swan would be able to consume so much food. It wasn't in a gross way, but more of a how-the-hell-can-you-eat-that-much-and-still-be-so-little way. I also wouldn't have ever thought that our first date would be at an In-N-Out Burger. But it was what she wanted to eat and who was I to argue with her?

I sat in the car Alice had loaned me and watched as Bella told me some animated story from her childhood. Her hands flew around in wild motions and she had just a small smear of ketchup on the corner of her mouth. I had to keep reminding myself that leaning across the console to lick it off wasn't acceptable.

It made me extremely happy that she seemed so relaxed and just… herself. She wasn't made up into the glamorous celebrity she had been a few nights ago, but more like the real Bella. Her hair was adorably messy and tied into some sort of knot at the back of her neck, leaving small pieces around her face and ears. One particular piece was curled around the mole that sat on the side of her neck, just behind her earlobe. My fingers ached to reach out and feel the strand that framed it.

"So, now what?"

I blinked at her question and tried to act like I hadn't been staring at her mouth and neck for the past hour. "Huh?"

Bella smiled and laughed her quirky little giggle. "Earlier you said you had something else planned. What is it?"

"Oh! That's still a surprise." I held the paper bag open to collect her trash. It didn't escape my attention that her fingers seemed to linger a little on mine. The blush on Bella's cheeks confirmed that she'd done it on purpose and was embarrassed about me noticing. God, she was adorable.

"You know I'm not really fan of surprises."

My gaze drifted from Bella's cheeks to her eyes and I tried to gauge the purpose of her telling me that. Immediately I was worried that she wouldn't want to go but when I saw her eyes I knew that wasn't the case. I smiled and waited for her to finish talking.

"I never…" Bella softly sighed before leaning her head to the side and smiling at me. "You were a very good surprise, Edward."

The nervousness that I had always felt around Isabella Swan seemed to have morphed into something more like excitement. With more courage than I'd ever had, I leaned across the car and gently brushed my lips against hers. When Bella's hand moved to the side of my neck, holding me there, I realized that this was the first time I'd ever kissed her. In the car she had kissed me both times. But now, now I was the one making the first move and she wasn't stopping me.

xXxXxXx

"You're sure no one will know who I am?"

I put Alice's car into park and nodded my head. "Bella, I swear on everything I have, you will not be noticed in here."

She gave my hand a squeeze before taking her seatbelt off and tentatively getting out of the car. I tried not to laugh as she looked around the parking lot and back to the dilapidated metal building. A broken neon sign was flickering, making it hard to read what it said.

"Bit dodgy, no?"

I locked the car and gently took her hand in mine. "I thought you trusted me."

Bella smiled. "I do. I just want you to know that if this turns into some sort of bar fight then I will be of absolutely no use to you. All of my fight scenes were performed by stunt doubles."

I laughed loudly before opening the front door for her. "Trust me, that won't be an issue."

Hesitantly she walked inside and looked around. I smiled when she turned around and looked up at me. "Are we visiting old people?"

I shook my head and led her to one of the tables. "We're playing Bingo."

Nearly an hour later Bella's hands were covered in purple ink from her Bingo marker. She was sitting on the edge of her chair, completely enthralled in the game. As it turns out, Bella Swan had a competitive side and was getting annoyed.

Neither one of us had won anything, but I had no problem forking over another fifty cents for a new card every time we lost. Currently, I had three cards in front of me while Bella had seven. Her leg was bouncing up and down while her eyes frantically flew over the numbers in front of her. If it wasn't so endearing I would have laughed at her.

"B-23!" The caller yelled to the room. "That's a B as in boy, twenty-three!"

In a quick second, Bella flew from her chair and screamed, "BINGO!"

For the first time since I'd met her, the stares of the people around her didn't seem to bother her. I watched while the reader came to check her card and verified that she did in fact have a bingo. She bounced up and down, clapping her hands, and acting a whole lot like Alice.

When she threw her arms around my neck, I laughed and hugged her back. "Congratulations."

She kissed my cheek before going and claiming her prize, which was a very nice pillow that had an embroidered cat on it. It looked like something my great-grandmother would have had. As we left, I saw her give it to an elderly woman who seemed a little pissed when Bella had won.

"This was fun." Bella fastened her seatbelt while I started the car. "I'm really glad you asked me to go with you."

I was immensely grateful for the fact that it was dark. Bella's gratitude was making me blush and I knew I had to be the color of a tomato. "I'm really glad you accepted my invitation; it's just kind of sad that it went by in such a hurry."

"It doesn't have to end, you know." Her voice was quiet and shy and I had to look at her to make sure I'd heard her right. She gave me a small smile and reached over for my hand. "You're leaving tomorrow and I really… I'm not ready to say good-bye yet."

Even in the dim light I could see the small purple smudge on the bridge of her nose and another on her chin. She was looking at me, her eyes wide and questioning, and that made me giddy and nervous at once. Isabella Marie Swan was asking me to stay with her.

I nodded my head before reaching over and rubbing the purple ink off of her chin. "I don't want to say good-bye, either."

xXxXxX

**[ Bella ]**

Edward Cullen was full of surprises. I'm the kind of girl who doesn't really go for things like that, but somehow a surprise coming from him wasn't too terrible. Like tonight, for example. I was nervous, I won't lie. I'd already told myself that I was going to trust Edward-and I did. He was a great guy and every new thing I learned about him made me want to be around him even more. Alice was spouting off words like "marriage" and "true love" left and right since she'd landed Jasper and, while I tried to ignore it, I had been wondering if there was someone out there for me, too.  
I wasn't a huge believer in having one true love. It sounded like a great idea and something that everyone should want, but it seemed like it wasn't in the cards for me. I'd fallen hard, and fast, numerous times in my life, but it left me feeling sick afterwards when nothing worked out the way I had planned it to. I was an all-or-nothing kind of girl. And lately I had nothing. So I'd basically given up.  
But once I put some of my nerves to rest, I was starting to see that there could be someone out there for me. And not just someone, a "one." And not just a "one" but a "one" especially for me.  
I'd been having a great time getting to know Edward, and letting him in was getting to be easier than I thought it would be. Somehow he crept up to the walls I had built and was taking the bricks down one at a time. I'd barely even noticed what he'd been doing, whether it was intentional or not, and we'd reached a level of comfort where I felt relaxed around him. And I hadn't felt that way in a long time. It felt good.  
Us having dinner at In-N-Out Burger, sitting in Alice's car, might not have seemed romantic or special to anyone else. But to me it was Heaven. We didn't have to walk through crowds of paparazzi or have fans chasing us down the sidewalk. And I could eat whatever and however much I wanted to. Which was good because I was hungry.  
And Edward was such a saint for not putting up a fuss. He definitely seemed like a romance kind of guy, and I know it's true because Alice told me that Jasper had told her so. I was learning all sorts of things about Edward, so I felt it was time I started telling him things about me.  
Which led to a wild story about when I was a child and my Mum had this hair-brained idea that I should be in a beauty pageant. Edward listened while I waved my hands around, making gestures every time I would imitate her. It was such a nice feeling to be able to share stupid stories with him and not have to worry about them showing up in the tabloids the next day.  
My stomach did a flip-flop and my toes started to curl the moment he leaned over the car and kissed me. Any reservations I had about Edward Cullen were pretty much out the window at this point. I felt a warmth seep all over my body and I felt like I was a pile of melted butter in the seat. I was euphoric and I felt like one of those cartoon animals with big puffy hearts shooting out of my eyes.  
Maybe Alice was right. Damn.

xXxXxX

Ever since I was a small child I had this obsession with winning. I didn't care what it was, but if I was going to make an attempt, I wanted to win it. This passion was probably what had helped me become successful in the film industry, but sometimes would annoy the piss out of Rosalie, another competitive girl herself. But it was part of who I was, and it was a take it or leave it situation.  
Edward was apparently taking it. He saw my frustration every time someone else won Bingo. I just wanted to stand up and call a fake one, but Edward quickly shot that idea down, saying that he was sure some of the elderly women in the room had "done serious time."  
My leg was twitching and I kept shaking it up and down as my hands ran frantically over the paper cards. Each number that was called sent me into fits of excitement. I was two away from winning the next round and I felt like I was going to burst. I was completely focused on the announcer's voice and when I heard her call out the last two numbers I needed it took all I had to not jump up and do a touchdown dance.  
"BINGO!" I shouted, a grin a mile wide across my face. I felt accomplished. My pulse was thumping loudly and I ignored all the scowls from the other patrons in the room. Edward was beaming at me and I strolled up to the front to claim the prize. A small pillow with a cat sewn on it? I gave it to a woman who looked like she would treasure it more than I would as we left that night.  
And cue the sinking feeling in my stomach. Edward was leaving to go back to Washington and I was really going to miss spending time with him. I'd grown really attached to his companionship and it was definitely safe to say that I liked him. A lot. I felt treasured by him, something I'd never felt before. Everyone in Hollywood just wanted a picture, a piece of information, or teaser for the movie I was working on. But Edward didn't want any of that. He wanted to make me happy, to spend time with me, to know the real me, and to protect me. He was the rare diamond in the rough that Mum had always told me would be out there. I only hoped I was smart enough not to fuck this up.  
So I invited him in to my apartment rather then ending the night. We both didn't want to say goodbye and I didn't see anything wrong with that. Although I did try to remember if I had any dirty clothes lying around in the living room or any other place he might see. I chewed on my lower lip as we walked up to the door and I fumbled with my keys. I flicked on the light and cringed when I saw all the trash lying around and the dusty couch with the Afghans from my Nana's house back in England. And sure enough, there was a dirty t-shirt slung over the back of a lamp that had fallen over.  
"It's a bit messy," I apologized as I stepped in and let him follow. I didn't dare meet his eyes. This was weird-my entire life I had never felt bad for being messy, but suddenly it was the most embarrassing thing in the world. I quickly shuffled through the room, picking up a few empty soda cans and the t-shirt, hiding them behind my back before turning to face him. And he was smiling, surprising me.  
"It's fine, Bella. I live with Emmett-you can imagine how messy that can be."

We both laughed awkwardly as I gestured for him to take a seat on the couch. We eyed each other before both robotically moving towards it and plopping down. Suddenly I was nervous again.  
I tried to convince myself that there was nothing to be scared of. This was Edward. I gave myself an internal pep talk and turned to say something to him at the same time he turned to me and I hadn't realized how close we'd gotten. Our foreheads banged together and we giggled like schoolgirls.  
"Well this isn't awkward at all," I mumbled, rubbing my hand over my face. "What should we do now? Watch a movie? Play a game?"  
His eyebrow arched. "Well there is one game I was hoping we could play together." He paused for a second, waiting to see my reaction. When I gave him a nod in assurance, his eyes flicked around the room before answering. "I've always thought it'd be fun if we played the _Carlisle's Angels_ Scene-It game together."  
His face turned a salmon pink and he looked down at his hands. I let out a small giggle as he looked back up at me. "Edward, you don't think you're possibly going to win, are you? In case you forgot, I've been in all of the movies."  
He smirked. "You're about to eat those words, Bella Swan!"  
Of course I accepted the challenge and went over to the closet and opened the door. My jaw about hit the floor when I saw the inside—I'd forgotten that I'd thrown everything in there when Mum came in town for the _Shadows_ premiere. I started pulling stuff out one by one, knowing that blasted board game was in there somewhere. After a little while Edward came to look behind me.

"A bowling ball? A hat? Are those…Hot Pocket boxes?"  
My cheeks had to be a dark stain of red by this point. As much as I didn't mind living the lifestyle of a slob, I didn't want Edward to think that I didn't have any proper hygiene.  
"Those must be Jess' or something," I muttered. "Aha!" I cried out in excitement as I found my Smirnoff shirt. "I was wondering where that was," I said to myself as I pulled it on over the other shirt I was currently wearing.  
Edward laughed and sat down next to me, shuffling through the things I'd thrown into the hallway. He'd hold up random objects, such as the neck of an old guitar that I'd bought at a yard sale, or fireworks that Alice had asked me to hold onto for her. I'd tell him a story behind each one and then he'd set it back on the ground before moving to the next.  
I cheered when I held up the board game which still was half-covered in Winnie the Pooh Christmas wrapping paper. The tag read "Merry Christmas, Asshat" and I giggled at the memory. I held it triumphantly over my head as we stood and made our way back to the couch. We opened it up and put the DVD in before selecting our game pieces. I asked Edward if he was sure this was what he wanted to do before we began. I was ahead for awhile, not that I was shocked at that. But towards the end Edward started to creep up on me.  
"How did you know the answer to that and I didn't?" I scoffed when he guessed a question right about my character after I'd gotten it wrong.  
"It's all skill," he teased before sticking his tongue out at me. In the end, Edward won and I pretended to sulk until he pulled me tightly into him. I wrinkled my nose at him until he said one of the sweetest things I've ever heard.  
"I don't even need a silly trophy or a pillow with a cat on it, I have the best prize in the world right here," he whispered as he tugged me closer.  
And cue my melting heart. As we sat there quietly, not saying a word, I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt this at ease.  
That damn Alice was definitely right.

xXxXxXx

**JFI: **So sorry for the slow update. Both LMW and I moved between the last update and this one, which took up most of our time. We will try to be quicker with our updates from here on out! Thanks for sticking with us. AND OMG EDWARD BELLA ARE FINALLY TOGETHER! Told you to trust us.

**LMW:** uh, yeah, I moved again. This should not be surprising to those of you who hang out with me on Twitter. Things have been a bit hectic, but how about them Cullens, huh? Thanks for hanging in there. This story will not be abandoned!


	37. A Pearl and a Snap

**Disclaimer: We don't own it.**

[ Edward ]

"That should be the last of it."

I nodded at Jasper and took the box that he was handing me. Carefully, I stacked it on top of all the other boxes, bags, and furniture that filled the U-Haul he'd rented. I never realized how much stuff he had until we'd been forced to help him pack and load all of it. At least we would have a day to "rest" while driving it all to LA before we had to unload all of it and finish moving Alice's stuff into their new house.

"Wait!" Alice yelled from the front door. Jasper and I turned around and watched as she ran towards us, holding a crumpled duffle bag. She had a huge smile on her face and tossed the bag at her future husband once she was close enough. "We can't forget this."

Confusion covered his face while he unzipped the bag and pulled out his a pillow case that had Alice's face on it. I snorted from laughter while Jasper just shook his head. "I'm pretty sure I can get rid of this now."

"Oh no!" Alice stole the pillow case away from him. "We're keeping it."

Jasper tried to take it back but in an act of defiance, she shoved the pillow case down her shirt and smiled.

He pulled at the bottom of her t-shirt and smiled. "Don't think I won't reach in there and get that."

"My, my Jasper Whitlock." Alice crossed her arms across her chest. "How scandalous."

The two of them continued flirting with each other while I jumped out of the back of the trailer and pulled the door down. Before it could shut all the way, Alice yanked the pillowcase out of her shirt and threw it into the U-Haul. Jasper slapped her ass and I pretended not to see anything.

"Are we ready?" Emmett yelled from the front door.

I nodded and secured the lock to the trailer. "I'm ready."

While Emmett locked the front door, Alice leaned up to kiss Jasper and then opened the passenger side door oh the U-Haul. "Edward and I will take the first shift of driving this monster and since I am the only girl on this little adventure, I get to pick the bathroom breaks." She tossed Emmett a walkie-talkie before smiling at me. "Ready?"

I hadn't known Alice very long but I'd known her long enough to recognize that smile of deceit. "You don't want to ride with your future husband?" I asked, knowing full well why she wanted me to be stuck in a car with her for eight hours.

She shook her head. "He always picks the worst road trip music."

"Hey!" Jasper protested.

"Finally someone agrees with me!" Emmett yelled. "Get your ass in the truck, Jaspy."

Knowing that there was no use in arguing, I got behind the wheel of the U-Haul trailer and started our long drive to LA. We hadn't even made it out of the city limits when Alice sat up in her seat and turned to look at me. I shook my head, knowing what was coming.

"Have you thought about it anymore?"

"I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that, Alice…"

"Why?" She tossed her sunglasses onto the dash. "It's a beautiful song, Edward. No matter who it's about… it would be perfect for the wedding."

Because my best friend cannot keep a secret from Alice, he had let the information about the song I'd written for Bella slip. Obviously Alice wasn't going to take no for an answer when she'd ask to hear it, so I played it and then she started crying. Since then she had done nothing but try to convince me to play that song at their wedding.

"Alice, I love you like a sister or something, but-"

"Edward, please. It would be so special for me…and especially for Jasper. I mean, having his best friend play an original piece of music at his wedding… that's just so perfect."

Alice Brandon: actor, musician, artist, and master guilt tripper.

"I dunno, Alice," I said hesitantly.

She reached across the seat and held my hand. "Edward, I just really, _really_, like the song. It is perfect. Please?"

Knowing I couldn't tell her no even if I wanted to, I slowly nodded my head. "Fine."

She squealed and started clapping her hands. "Freaking awesome!"

I laughed at her excitement until she grabbed the walkie-talkie and pushed the button to talk.

"Soaring Sparrow to Big Papa Bear," she spoke into the speaker. "Come in, Papa Bear."

"This is Big Papa Bear," Emmett responded. I could hear Jasper laughing in the background.

"I have to pee so…the next gas station, we're stopping."

"What?" My brother yelled back. "We haven't even been driving for an hour! Alice, we have eighteen hours to drive and-"

"And I have a small bladder," she cut him off. "Soaring Sparrow is out."

After the first bathroom break, Alice settled into a zoned out state of silence that was only occasionally interrupted when she reached over to change the radio station or the temperature of the air conditioner. We'd been driving for three hours and I had thought she'd fallen asleep, but as if she had just been waiting for me to fall into a false sense of boredom, she sat up in her chair and turned to look at me.

"If you decide to take the band up on their job offer, you and Bella could totally start dating."

"What?" I laughed, hoping to sound casual.

"I mean, you could _really_ date instead of this whole _when-you're-in-LA-then- we-will-hang-out-and-kiss-but-act-like-we're-just-friends-and-not-secretly-lusting-after-each-other_ thing."

I tried to act like I wasn't that excited about the opportunity of _maybe_ moving to LA and working for one of the most popular independent bands on the scene and even _possibly_ dating Bella Swan, but I knew for a fact that I wasn't fooling anyone.

Alice had approached me about the job a while back, claiming that the band really did need someone with a lot of computer experience and that the girls would need another roommate since she was moving out, but I still wasn't sure it was what I should do. It all sounded too good to be true and that made me nervous.

"Alright look." She turned the radio off. "Legitimately, I could find some eighteen year-old college student who would run the band's website and stuff for free. They would probably do a mediocre job and end up leaking personal information about us to the tabloids, and then I would have to fire them and start all over again. So, to save myself the trouble, I could hire _someone_ I know we can trust, _someone _who will do a good job and deserve the pay that we're offering. I could also hire _someone_ who would be a huge comfort to my new husband that won't have any friends in LA. By taking this job, this same _someone_ could also end up in a flipping fantastic relationship with one of my nearest and dearest friends who just so happens to think that this _someone_ is the best thing since Hot Pockets came out with breakfast products."

I tried not smile but I couldn't help it.

"See!" Alice said excitedly. "You _do_ like the idea of moving out here!"

"I never said I didn't."

"But you never say yes or no, which is completely maddening. I mean… why would you _not_ want to move? You would have a job, friends already there, and you would live with four women in the Monkey House! Did I mention that we have a swing set in one of the guest rooms? Not in like a sexual way but, like… an actual swing set."

"I would also be leaving the only life I've ever known, Alice." I turned to look at her and then back at the road. "I've always lived in Olympia and I've always lived with Emmett, who is the only family I really have."

"Jasper and I are your family, too," she added.

I smiled at the sentiment. "I know, and I do consider you guys family, but Emmett is my brother and… he gave up so much for me. He basically raised me and I couldn't ever just leave him… not unless I knew he would be okay with it."

"Well if I was a betting person, which I am, then I would bet that Emmett will be in LA before the year ends."

Surprised by her response, I gave her a brief look. "What? Why do you say that?"

"Three words." Alice held up three fingers. "Rosalie-Christine-Hale."

"Really?" I asked her. "All they seem to do is argue."

"Exactly-which is the most common form of foreplay." She laughed at my disgusted face but continued. "Mark my words, Edward. Something will happen between Emmett and Rosalie, if it hasn't already, and I'm betting everything will come to head at the wedding. Emmett will move to LA before the year ends and Rosalie will end up dropping this _I'm-Miss-Independent_ routine and give in to the fact that she is head over heels in love with your brother." She poked my arm and added. "And _you_ will see that moving to LA was the right choice after all."

The idea of all of us living in LA, completely happy and content where life had taken us, was definitely appealing. I just didn't know if I could buy into yet. What would happen if we did end up moving but Bella and I didn't work out? What if the Spider Monkeys broke up? There were way too many questions that didn't have answers.

But like always, Alice seemed to know exactly what to say. She quietly said my name and I turned my head to look at her.

"What if you do move to LA and you and Bella end up being the real thing? What if you move to LA and end up finding the life that you've always wanted but have been too scared to look for? Life isn't ever going to be a hundred percent certain, Edward. But it's the chances you take that make it all worth it."

Looking back at the highway in front of us, I realized she was right. The majority of my life I'd been terrified to take chances. But now I knew that I wasn't so scared anymore. Now I was just curious and excited.

Alice closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat. "In a week, we will all be in Texas and I know that nothing is ever going to be the same after this wedding… for any of us."

xXxXxXx

[ Emmett ]

Fuck Disneyland, Texas was the happiest place on Earth! Especially in Mama Whitlock's kitchen where she had a cornucopia of healthy-homemade-snacks that definitely did not taste like the shitty rice cakes I'd been eating lately. All I had to do was help tie little ribbons on the gift bags for the rehearsal dinner and I was granted all of the food I wanted. They should have just put a sign on my back that said, _will do girly shit for Imagene Whitlock's food_, because I totally would.

I wasn't normally a fan of things like weddings, mainly because the majority of my adult life I had been jaded by women in one way or another, but I was honestly a little excited about this one. Not only was my best friend getting married, but he was getting married at the fucking Alamo. I mean, I'm not from Texas so it didn't really mean all that much to me, but I thought it was awesome as fuck that Alice had managed to arrange a private wedding ceremony in the Alamo Gardens and library, all under the disguise of a private fundraiser for the Daughters of the Republic organization that ran the museum. Which really, I'm sure with the amount of money they had spent to have the wedding there, the Daughters of the Republic made a mint. So my best friend and his movie star fiancée were going to get married at one of the most revered historical sites in Texas, surrounded by cannons and other cool shit that I could mess with. I saw it as a win-win situation.

"Another granola bar, Emmett?" Mama Whitlock asked me.

I nodded my head. "You know it." While she slid another snack onto my plate, I tied the final ribbon and smiled. "Where do you want these?"

"Oh, you just leave those there. I'll have Jasper move them when he gets back from the airport. They should be here shortly."

With the mention of the airport, my good mood fell to the floor and died. Jasper, Alice and Edward had ventured off into the big city of San Antonio to pick up Rosalie and Bella from the private airport they were flying into while I stayed behind and opted to eat myself into oblivion. I was not looking forward to seeing Rosalie, let alone staying in the same house as she was.

"I think Rosalie Hale is the prettiest of the three of them," Jasper's youngest sister said sweetly.

I gave her a playful look of death and shoved the granola bar in my mouth. "One of her nostrils is bigger than the other."

She folded the napkin she was playing with and smiled up at me. "I think you _like_ her."

Arguing with a twelve year old about if I did or didn't like Rosalie Hale was not how I was going to spend my afternoon. So I just messed up her hair and pushed away from the kitchen table. I'd planned on taking a shower, that way I wouldn't be expect to be all social and shit when everyone got back, but of course the second I started towards the stairs, a vehicle started coming up the long driveway.

"Oh!" Mama Whitlock clapped her hands together. "I think that's… yup, that's them!"

While everyone else in the kitchen seemed to erupt with excitement, I sank back down in my seat and grabbed another granola bar. Car doors shut, voices called out, and I stayed exactly where I was.

"You're not coming outside?" Jasper's sister asked me.

I shook my head. "I'm good where I am."

And I was until Jasper yelled at me from the front yard. "Emmett! Come help with the luggage!"

I reluctantly walked to the screen door and stood there, assessing the situation before me. Bella was… Bella. She looked so out of place and completely oblivious to how awkward and dorky she seemed, and I mean that in the best of ways. Edward looked exactly the same way all of the time. Jasper was unloading luggage out of the back of his father's truck and telling his sisters to stop smothering Alice, even though she seemed to love every second of it. Mama Whitlock was welcoming everyone while offering iced tea and cookies, and there, standing in a ridiculous cowboy hat and boots, stood Rosalie Hale. The short denim skirt that she had on was really fucking distracting, so I just started grabbing as much luggage as I could, hoping she would be too interested in cows and trees to notice me.

"Oh y'all will all look so pretty at the ceremony!" Mama Whitlock smiled at all of us. "Let me get a picture of all the wedding party together for the first time."

"Mom," Jasper laughed. "You'll get pictures tonight at the rehearsal."

She just waved her hand at him and pulled a camera out of her apron pocket. "And I'll get some right now, too. Now Emmett, you let go of that bag and go stand by Rosalie that way all the couples are together."

With her arms crossed across her chest, Rosalie gave me a quick look and then stared straight forward. I dropped her damn luggage on the ground and stomped my way towards the rest of them.

"Closer, y'all."

I shuffled an inch closer to Rosalie and held my breath.

"Emmett, you're just too tall, honey. Why don't you just stand behind Rosalie and…yes, that's just perfect!"

Her fucking perfume and shampoo was absolutely assaulting my senses, making me angry and horny and… just a fucking mess all at once.

"Now y'all smile," Mama Whitlock held the camera up. "One, two…"

As soon as the flash went off, I grabbed Rosalie's luggage, took it to the room she was staying in, and ran down the hallway to the bathroom. I sure as hell hoped that no one would ask why there was half a bottle of shampoo missing or why I'd taken the longest shower know to man kind. This was going to be a _long_ weekend.

xXxXxXx

"I know you don't want to talk to me."

I nodded my head at Rosalie's obvious statement and kept trying to tie my damn tie. "Then why are you in my room?"

"Because we can't keep acting like this, at least not this weekend, Emmett. Alice is one of my best friends and—"

"Jasper _is_ my best friend." I let go of the tie and turned around to face her. "And you don't have to worry about me ruining their wedding, Rosalie. I'm not that fucking selfish."

She sighed and let her arms fall to her sides. I tried not to notice how fucking fantastic her legs looked in those shoes… or how good she looked in that dress. "I know you're not selfish, Emmett. That isn't what I meant. I just know that… if you had your choice you wouldn't want me to be here, you wouldn't want to be partnered up with me at this wedding."

I didn't bother to try and act like it wasn't true so I let her continue.

"Can we just have a truce this weekend? Just… let's be civil and then you can go back to hating me after the wedding is over."

Nodding my head, I agreed that I would try to not act like she was a raging bitch who had broken my heart and left me a mess of emotions in the back of a limousine without any clothes on. When she held her hand out to shake mine, I turned back to the mirror and started redoing my tie. "Let's not push it."

I saw her reflection behind me, looking rejected and scorned, then walk from the bedroom and shut the door. The silky material slipped through my fingers, making the most horrible excuse for a tie that I'd ever seen. I undid it and started over, trying to push back the feeling of guilt that bubbled in my stomach.

A few seconds later, there was a knock on my door and then Edward stuck his head into the room. "You ready? We're about to leave for the rehearsal."

I nodded and grabbed my jacket off the back of the chair. "I'll ride with Jasper's parents; make sure Rosalie rides with you."

My brother gave me a funny look but thankfully didn't bother to question my request. Instead he grabbed my arm when I tried to walk past him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I answered. "I'm fine."

We both knew I was lying.

xXxXxXx

[ Jasper ]

Most guys are shaking in their boots nervous on the night before they get married. Me? No way. I was so ready to do this. I had never been surer of anything in my entire life. I just hoped nothing fucked it up. And that started with Emmett.

"It'll be fine, I know it; Emmett knows how important this whole weekend is," Alice chattered on the way over to the rehearsal. "I mean, come on, and give him some credit. He seems to be going through a rough patch right now, but I have a good feeling about this."

I shook my head. I had learned in the time I'd known Alice that she was pretty intuitive about people's feelings—I wasn't going to mess with her if she said everything was going to be fine. We pulled up to the Alamo and I smiled at my excitement—I'd loved coming here ever since I was little boy, and I never thought I'd be getting married here.

Everyone piled out of their cars and met in the front. Mine and Alice's parents seemed to hit it off—almost too good—and were swapping embarrassing baby stories. My little sister was squealing and making goo-goo eyes at Edward—apparently she'd grown up in the last year or so and decided that he was the cutest thing ever.

"Well let's get this show on the road," Emmett muttered as he pushed past me through the gate. I gave Alice a concerned look and nudged Bella playfully as she walked by. She flipped me off when the parents weren't looking and stuck her tongue out for good measure.

We had a little time to kill before the minister got there so everyone started milling around and taking pictures. Alice was huddled with Rosalie and Bella so I went over to where Emmett was standing, inspecting a cannon. He was hunched over the plaque reading it.

"Man this stuff is cool," he turned with a grin. "Yo, Edward, come take a picture of me with this canon!"

Edward started fiddling with his cell phone camera and turned to take Emmett's picture. "Uh, Emmett, I don't think you're supposed to do that."

"Remember the Alamo!" Emmett screamed as he pretended to 'bang' the cannon from the rear end. I cringed and looked around to make sure no security guards were coming to arrest us.

"Okay, I got it," Edward said, showing it to Emmett as he nodded in agreement.

"Man, I can't believe we're here right now! A lot of shit happened in this place, yanno? And now Jaspy's getting married here! It's the ending of an era!" Emmett fake cried as he slung his arm around my shoulder.

I laughed. "Yeah, it's been a pretty crazy year."

"Edward, go sit in that tree log bench. Pretend to be Pocahontas. This picture would look great on your Facebook!" Emmett was being such a tourist, but his happiness was contagious so I didn't mind.

Edward stuffed his long legs into the trunk and grabbed onto his imaginary paddle while Emmett snapped the picture. I jumped in behind him and pretended to attack him when he tried to get out.

We horsed around until the minister showed up, just enjoying being stupid and immature. Then we lined up at the imaginary altar. I tried not to laugh as Bella stumbled on a rock walking down the aisle. Edward leaned forward as if to catch her but caught himself when he saw she was okay. Emmett snickered, which earned him a nasty glare from Rosalie who came in behind her.

Alice's mom was busy crying; mumbling about how she thought this day would never come. Alice winked at me as she stood before me and I gave her my best southern smile. The minister went through the ceremony almost flawlessly in between tidbits in which he explained where we would exchange rings and recite our vows. Afterwards I was instructed to kiss the bride and I planted a good one on Alice. I heard her brothers whistling and cat-calling and I was grateful that they didn't want to murder me.

The rehearsal dinner was just as successful. We all drove over to Le Reve, a French restaurant. It was fancy and not far from the Alamo. We all sat down and I noticed Emmett was scowling until Mama came over and kissed him on the cheek, telling him how much she loved him.

"Thanks, Mama," I whispered to her and she passed by me.

"Anytime, honey. That boy just needs some extra love once in a while," she said with a wink.

"How come they don't serve French Fries here? That's French," Emmett joked.

"It's not really French, Emmett," Rosalie said with a roll of her eyes.

Alice saved the day by jumping in and talking about some last minute flower ideas and the girls were off again in a wedding tizzy. Well, all the girls except Bella. My sisters were more than happy to become new friends with Alice, Rosalie, and Bella. But Bella didn't seem to be too interested. Instead she was making polite conversation with my dad. Wilber Thomas Whitlock was simply captivated by Bella since the moment she showed up to my parents' house. He'd taken her under his wing and she was fascinated with all the stories he told her about growing up in the South. Edward sat near them and took it all in, too, but Bella seemed to be hanging off his every word—and Dad ate it up. My sisters and I had long given up on listening about the Glory Days, and his new audience only got him all riled up again.

After dinner everyone began making toasts to Alice and me, handing us gift cards and photo albums. Mama stood up and wiped at her face before speaking.

"Alice, sweetie, you have been a great joy to get to know. You've turned our Jasper into an honest man, and I've never seen him happier. Thank you for coming into his life and making him smile again. You're already like another daughter to me and words cannot express how wonderful it is to be celebrating your wedding together," she choked out. Alice stood up and they embraced in a long hug before Mama pulled out an envelope and handed it to us.

"Mama, you shouldn't have gotten us anything," I scolded her as Alice began to claw at the envelope. She started to read the card and smiled. When she opened it and read the rest of it, a picture fell out of the inside. When she picked it up her smile grew and she started screeching. She jumped up and down and ran over to my parents, thanking them.

"I know you'll always want to remember where you came from, and it's not exactly the same, but its close enough," Mama explained.

I was confused as to what she was giving us. I managed to pry the picture out of Alice's hands.

"They're giving us piglets!" she squealed.

Emmett spit his water out behind him and everyone's eyebrows shot up.

I stared down at the photo. Two small pigs were nestled together under a blanket. My eyes had to have been bugging out. _Pigs?_ Who gives someone pigs as a wedding present?

Alice ripped the picture out of my hands and began showing it around the table. "Aren't they so precious? Thank you Mama, Dad!"

My parents beamed in excitement as I gave them a nod. _Pigs?_

"We thought since you two aren't an ordinary couple that you wouldn't want an ordinary pet. And apparently miniature pigs are the new accessory in Hollywood."

Rosalie and Bella were looking at the picture and talking about names for the little animals when Emmett looked over at me.

"Pigs, Jasper? Oh, man!" He started making little oink noises. "This is going to be real hysterical. Make sure someone gets this stuff on film! Are they going to be in the wedding now?"

"Emmett, that's a great idea!" Alice yelled.

"No, I am not walking with a pig down the aisle," Rosalie said.

"I take offense to that!" Emmett argued.

"Ugh, not you, Emmett, a _real_ pig. Although the similarities are almost uncanny."

I shot Rosalie a warning look and she backed down, going back to the conversation about pig names. Even Edward was joining in, and I heard suggestions such as Peanut Butter and Jelly, and Jack and Jill.

"I've got it, I've got it!" Alice jumped up and down excitedly.

"What?" Emmett asked.

Alice grinned. "Pearl and Snap. The white one being Pearl, of course."

"Fucking Pearl and Snap?" Emmett guffawed.

"Yes! Because the first thing I remember about meeting Jasper was how awesome his shirt was with the pearl snap buttons," Alice gushed.

"Oh, good Lord, those pigs are really in for it now. Good thing they have a cool Uncle Emmett to help them keep it real," he replied.

And that's when it hit me: tonight I was a new father to a set of pigs and my wife was a Spider Monkey. I was living in an animal house.

But there was no place else I'd rather be.

xXxXxXx

**JFI:** some partaking of this chapter that involves cannons, bench canoes and pictures at the Alamo may or may not be true. It may or may not involve LMW and myself. Happy New Year!

**LMW: **We're back, just in time for the New Year in the United States! Hope you haven't given up on us—we've got a wedding to celebrate, Stalking-style!


	38. Its Time

EMPOV

Without knocking, I barged into Jasper's childhood bedroom and smiled at the sight in front of me. Jasper and Alice, fully clothed, laying on his small ass bed. Alice had the picture of their new prized piglets in her hands, fawning over them, while her fiancé was just giving her the stupidest grin known to man kind. I kicked his foot before saying, "I'm here to kidnap your ass."

He glanced up at me, a look of amusement and defiance covering his face. "Oh yeah? And what if I don't want to go?"

I gave him a humorless laugh and then snorted. "Well I could force you but I would hate to make you look like a pansy in front of your future wife."

Alice smiled but rolled her eyes. Still in her dress from the rehearsal dinner, she slid off of Jasper's bed before patting his stomach. "You have to go. I've got plans with the girls and you know you can't see me before the wedding."

"We have four hours before midnight and -"

I interrupted him. "And we've got to go to make it in time for what Eduardo and I planned. So hurry the fuck up."

It took another ten minutes to get him out of the room, and that was only after I made good on my threat to force him. When I wrangled Jasper into a choke hold, he finally agreed to go. Inside the cab of his father's truck, the three of us bounced up and down as we made out way down the dirt road that lead off of his parent's ranch.

At the end of the road, Jasper asked "We aren't going to strip club, are we?"

Edward was still too engrossed in reliving the small kiss that had taken place between him and Isabella Swan before we left, so I answered. "Jasper my friend, tonight will be a night you will never forget."

He gave me an unsure look before I turned onto the highway. I just smiled and turned the radio up, blaring the god awful country music that his father listened to.

xXxXxXx

"Ow!" Jasper yelled. "I can't see a damn thing you know!"

Edward, who was supposed to be guiding Jasper, accidently let him slam into a door frame and then apologized profusely. I just walked behind them, carrying the ice chest full of contraband that was normally not allowed at these places.

Once inside, my brother led him down the aisle and then smiled. "You ready?"

Jasper nodded before I told him he could take his blindfold off. It didn't take point three seconds before he was ripping the bandana off of his face.

"We're…" He smiled. "We're at a movie theater?"

I nodded and opened the ice chest. "We rented the place out. Want a beer?"

Jasper took the bottle I was offering him and continued looking around. "What are we seeing? If you talked them into showing a porno or something…"

I twisted the cap off another bottle and handed it to Edward. "What is it with you thinking I'm all about sex and smut?"

"Uh… you're Emmett Cullen."

Rolling my eyes at Jasper, Edward started to answer his original question. "We wanted to do something that would be memorable-"

"And watching porn with you ain't it." I sat down and smiled. "We're having _CA_ marathon, son! All four movies on the big screen!"

Jasper laughed before looking at Edward and then back at me. "Are you serious?"

I nodded and leaned back in my chair. "It was Edward's idea."

My brother just shrugged. "It's sort of been our _thing _since we became friends, you know?"

Watching the two of them, I tried not to act like an emotional jackass. It was touching to see Jasper and Edward hugging and shit. When the lights started dimming, I cleared my throat and nodded toward the screen in front of us. "Alright, sit the fuck down."

Jasper smiled before holding his bottle out towards mine. "To us?"

Edward's bottle joined his before I hit mine against both of theirs. "No. Here's to you and Alice, man. Congratulations."

xXxXxXx

Halfway thru the second movie, I was sprawled out in my chair, one leg hanging into the aisle and the other draped over the chair in front of me. I shook my head before pointing at the screen. "Who the fuck would have _ever_ thought that you and Alice Brandon would get _married_?"

Jasper shook his head. "Not me, that's for sure."

"Remember when you tried to convince Anne that she wanted to go see this again? She kept saying she didn't, but you talked her into it?" Edward laughed. "I can't believe you convinced her and made her think it was her idea to go in the first place."

Jasper took another drink before commenting. "I… really let that relationship go on too long."

I nodded my head. "We didn't want to say anything, but…"

"Didn't want to say anything?" Jasper asked while laughing. "You said _something_ every day."

"Well," I grabbed another beer and tried to ignore the image of Rosalie's bikini clad body on the screen. "That's what friends do, right? They tell you when you're making a mistake?" Jasper nodded, but I looked at my brother before continuing. "Like you, Edward. When are you just going to admit to yourself that moving to California is the best thing for you? You can't really be thinking about turning down this opportunity."

My brother gave Jasper a nervous glance before looking at me. "I didn't-"

"You should go, Edward." I interrupted. We hadn't really discussed any of this, but I knew, and _he_ knew, why he was so hesitant about moving. "You've got a really good opportunity knocking on your door and you'd be an idiot to not take it. Go to LA, marry Bella Swan, make lots of Casio keyboard playing babies, and come visit when you can."

I smiled when my brother choked on his drink. "Emmett!" he sputtered. "I don't even know if Bella feels like _that_ about me! I can't just move and… and…"

Leaning across the seats between us, I looked at him. "Take a chance?"

"Emmett's right," Jasper said quietly. "You'll never know if you never try."

"You really think I should go?"

I nodded and went back to my own chair. "I think you've already made up your mind. You were just waiting on us to reassure you."

Edward smiled and looked back up at the movie screen. "And what about you?"

"What about me? I'm living the dream, can't you tell?"

Jasper laughed before Edward answered, "What about your feelings for Rosalie Hale?"

I felt my jaw tighten before I took another drink. "Shut up and watch the damn movie, Edward."

xXxXxXx

As promised, it was before daylight by the time we got back to the Whitlock house. It seemed like everyone was asleep, until the three of us started climbing the front steps and saw Rosalie smiling at us from the porch swing.

"Hey," Jasper whispered while opening the front door. "Did Alice have fun?"

Rosalie nodded. "She's back at the hotel sleeping soundly, just like I promised."

I started to follow him and Edward inside, having absolutely no intention of dealing with her, when Rosalie stopped swinging and said my name. With my hand on the screen door, I sighed loudly. Jasper turned around and gave me a don't-be-an-asshole look, followed by Edward shutting the storm door in my face. Quietly, I shut the screen door and turned around to see what the hell she wanted. "Yes?"

Rosalie pulled the quilt up higher on her lap. "I just… was wondering if I could… talk to you for a second."

I silently counted to three before walking the few steps it took to get to the porch railing. "Rosalie, I-"

"I'm sorry," she quietly interrupted. "I'm sorry for everything, okay? I… I can't change what happened, Emmett."

"I forgive you, Rosalie, I do. But… I can't _forget_ what happened." I gave her a quick glance and then walked back to the door. Before I went inside, I took a deep breath. "Our best friends are getting married tomorrow and my brother is probably going to end up married to Bella. You and me need to forget what happened and just move on, alright?"

Rosalie stood up and dropped the quilt onto her vacated seat and moved to stand in front of me. "Is it that easy, Emmett? To just pretend like it never happened?"

The answer was no, it wasn't. Every single time I saw her, smelled her, I remembered how fucking amazing it felt to kiss her, to hold her, to _be_ with her. But then I also remembered how much it hurt to have her walk away and reject me.

Her hand carefully closed around my forearm before she looked up at me. "Tell me you don't love me anymore, Emmett. Tell me and I will walk away right now and act like you're just the guy that asked me to sign a picture of your dick."

I couldn't help but smile. "Rosalie –"

Her grip tightened. "Tell me."

Looking down into the blue eyes that were so fucking easy to get lost in, I shook my head. "I can't."

She took a deep breath before leaning up and gently placing a kiss on my chin. "Save me a dance tomorrow night, okay?"

Before I could answer her, or ask her what the fuck she meant, Rosalie Hale was walking to the rental car that was parked in the Whitlock's drive way. I stood there, watching as she backed out, and wondered what the fuck kind of mind games she was going to play with me now. I also hated myself for being so fucking stupid to nearly fall for it again.

EPOV

I'd known Jasper Whitlock for several years; we'd been through a lot together. But never, in all of the time I'd known him, had I ever seen him like this. He looked like he might be on the verge of having an absolute nervous break down. Sweat had beaded on his forehead, his jaw was moving at a rapid speed, gnawing on the gum he kept shoving in his mouth; and both legs were bouncing up and down, making the rest of his body shake in an erratic pattern. He looked a little crazed.

Giving Emmett's arm a nudge, I motioned towards Jasper. "He'll be okay, right? I mean… we don't need to call a doctor or anything?"

Emmett finished fixing his tie and smiled. "Hey, J? You need anything? A drink? A joint?" My brother gently slapped his shoulder. "An enema?"

As if he had suddenly realized we were in the room, Jasper's eyes focused on the two of us and became as wide as saucers. "What time is it? We can't be late! Edward, you have the rings, right? I gave you the rings?" Nearly knocking Emmett over, Jasper started pacing around the room.

"Dude," Emmett grabbed both of his shoulders. "You've still got like forty-five minutes. Calm down!"

My best friend nodded, but kept chewing the huge wad of gum in his mouth. "Okay," he breathed. "I need to relax. I mean… it's just a wedding, right? People get married every day."

"Right," I nodded. "And, Alice loves you."

Jasper sat down and his knees started bouncing again. "Yeah," he agreed and then unexpectedly shook his head. "This whole _not seeing each other before the wedding_ thing is total bullshit, you know? I mean… I just… if I am this nervous, imagine how worked up _she_ is!"

"I dunno," Emmett shrugged. "Alice seemed pretty relaxed this morning."

"You saw her?" Jasper shot up from the chair. "You didn't tell me you saw her! Was she okay? Did she say anything?"

"How many Redbulls have you fucking had?" My brother grabbed both of his shoulders again and slowly pushed him back into the chair. "Jasper, if you're this freaked out just call Alice! Or better yet, send Edward to go get her. You know she can't tell him no."

"Would you?" Jasper begged me. "I just need to see her… and I can't…"

I nodded and gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll be right back, okay?"

Leaving the two of them in the hotel room, I made my way two floors down, to the room that all of the girls were getting ready in. Even from elevator bank, I could hear the loud music and infectious giggling coming from their suite. I gave a quick knock on the open door and smiled at all of them. "Am I interrupting?"

"Oh, no! No, no!" Vicky Tartan pushed me back into the hallway. "No boys allowed, Cullen."

"Piss off, Tartan," Bella appeared behind her and smiled up at me. "Hi, Edward."

Once Vicky had moved, my hand involuntarily reached forward and carefully tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Hi," I quietly responded. When her cheeks flooded with a pink blush, I let my hand slowly fall; my fingertips traced the shell of her ear, then her jaw, neck, and finally her shoulder. "You look…amazing, Bella."

She reached forward and carefully touched my tie, straightening it, before bashfully looking up and me and smiling. "So do you."

The two of us stood there looking absolutely idiotic, smiling and gapping at each other, until Rosalie leaned against the opened door and smiled. "You two are just adorable, you know? But just out of curiosity, did you need something, Edward?"

"Oh…" I cleared my throat before answering her. "Jasper is kind of freaking out so, I volunteered to come see if Alice would maybe call him or something."

Like magic, Alice appeared behind Rosalie and Bella, producing a crisp white envelope with Jasper's name written on it. "Just give him this, okay? And tell him that… it's nearly time."

I smiled, taking what she offered, and then reluctantly backed away from the door. "I'll um… see you later?"

Rosalie smiled before taking Alice's hand and disappearing back into the room. Bella however, stood there, looking at me.

"Edward?" She quietly asked.

I took two steps forward, putting myself in front of her. "Yeah?"

She smiled, all sweet and sky, before leaning forward and gently kissing my parted lips. Just as quickly, Bella moved away. "I'll see you later."

I nodded, noticing she had shut the door to their room, but five minutes later I was still standing there.

"That's it," I quietly said to myself before turning away and walking towards the elevator. "Tonight, I tell Bella Swan that I love her."

[ Jasper]

My hands were so sweaty and no matter how many times I wiped them on my pants they never seemed to get dry. I instinctually pulled my phone out of my pocket to check the time. It'd been almost 10 minutes since Edward left—what was he doing?

"Bro, you need to just…"

"Swear to the Lord, Emmett, if you say relax I will rip you apart and feed you to the piglets."

"Nuff said."

Just at that moment Edward walked in waving an envelope. "This is for you, from Alice."

I snatched it out of his hands and tried to calm my tremors as my eyes focused on the words she'd written for me.

_My future husband,_

_ I know by now you're probably freaking out, walking around the room and wringing your hands; I'm here to tell you that you don't need to do that. There's nothing to be nervous about. I'm anxiously counting down the seconds until I can meet you at the end of the aisle. I know you're going to be the most handsome man out there, with Edward a close second, but you know he can't help it._

_ The second I laid eyes on you I knew you were the one. Our love is indescribable, but I want you to know that I can't wait to be bound to you in every way physically possible. I love you, and have loved you with every breath I've ever taken—all this time apart before we met has made me realize how lost I truly was. But now that I have you, I'll never have to be alone again._

_ So please stop shaking, stop snipping at Emmett and Edward, and stopping drinking Red Bull!_

_See you soon (I'll be the short thing in white),_

_Alice_

I couldn't stop myself from smiling, and I may have shed a tear, but I was allowed to be emotional—today was a huge day for me. I looked up at Emmett and Edward, tucked the letter in my breast pocket, and nodded.

"Alright, fellas, let's do this."

S-S-S-S-S-S

"Just don't stutter when it comes time for the vows and you'll be good," Emmett joked as he elbowed me in the side. I shook my head and laughed at him. He was a great friend, trying to keep me from throwing up all over the altar. I'm sure that would be a memory for the scrapbook.

"He'll be fine, leave him alone," Edward whispered.

I turned to smile at him. "Thanks guys—since this is one of three days we'll ever be allowed to be emotional, I just wanna say…that I really love you two."

Emmett faked a gagging noise before smiling and winking. "Feeling's mutual, man."

Just then the musical signaled and everyone turned to look at the door. My vision started to go blurry, but I know that the girls came down the aisle smiling. My heart started pounding and I gripped my palms together, clenching my thighs.

The guests all stood and the doors opened wide. I thought I was about to faint when Alice stepped into the doorway. She was angelic, she was gorgeous, and the most perfect creature I'd ever laid eyes on.

The rest of the ceremony I felt like I was on auto-pilot, never taking my eyes from Alice for a second. We cried through our vows and my hands shook while trying to put on her ring. But every second was perfect.

When the minister said I could kiss my bride, I all but dipped her back and gave her the kiss of the century. Everyone cheered and we smiled like idiots.

"I love you, Jasper Whitlock," she breathed, her eyes glittering up at me.

"I love you, Alice Brandon-Whitlock."

She shook her head. "It's Alice Whitlock. I want the whole world to know that I'm yours."

And even though I had no way of changing my name in grand gesture, I was hers, too.

S-S-S-S-S-S

**JFC:** "We've kept you waiting a long time"  
**LMW:** "We're sorry, sirs and ma'ams"

PS, we are writing a fantabulous Stalking outtake for the Fandom4Texas fic drive! Aside from Stalksper and Jackson Rathbone, JFI is also a Texan. Please consider donating five dollars to help those affected by the Texas Wildfires.


	39. It's About Freaking Time!

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer wrote **_**Twilight,**_** and we just borrowed her characters and made them our own. **

**Here it is dear readers, the final installment of our adventure.**

**[ Jasper ]**

"And I just want to tell you how much I love you, and you, too, now, Jasper. Thanks for making our girl smile so big. She was lovely before, but now she's even better," Bella said, finishing her speech. Alice jumped up and hugged her tightly before turning and grabbing my hand in hers. She brought Bella's hand to mine and I gave it a squeeze, mouthing "thank you" to her as her cheeks turned pink.

The reception had been going better than we could have imagined. Although not everyone we invited could make it, it was turning out to be one hell of a party. We had hired one of Alice's favorite bands and a DJ since we couldn't decide between the two, and she and the rest of the Spider Monkeys had gotten on stage and covered a song or two. Now that the ceremony was over and Alice was officially mine in the eyes of God and everyone at the church, I could definitely relax and let loose.

My parents sat at a table with Alice's parents and a few of their friends, and they seemed to really be hitting it off. When the music of some random African tribe played that Alice had found while on location for one of the _CA_ movies, she danced around the room with her father, and it was such an Alice thing to do, I couldn't help but love her more. Emmett nudged me and started dancing to his own drum and it took all I had not to burst out laughing at ruin the moment.

Today wasn't just about marrying Alice and making her my wife; today was about extending my family, beyond my parents and sisters, Emmett and Edward; not only did I gain Alice, but I gained Bella and Rosalie, and everyone else important to Alice in her life. And there wasn't anything else I could ask for.

Alice plopped back down next to me and wiped at her eye. I leaned over and kissed her softly, whispering a quick "I love you" while we had a chance. Everyone was pulling us in all directions, taking pictures, having special dances, and just as I was enjoying the moment together, Betty J.'s voice came over the sound system.

"Okay, you crazy kids! It's time to cut the cake!"

I could feel Alice squirming in her seat—we'd spent many a weekend going to cake tastings to find "the perfect" flavor. In the end, "we" ended up choosing three different flavors—Chocolate Hazelnut, Vanilla Bean Almond, and Lemon with Raspberry filling. To be honest, I didn't really care what the flavors were as long as they made Alice happy. I was just a simple man, happy to have the woman next to me.

I stood up and took her hand in mine and walked us over to where the incredibly huge cake was. I smiled when I saw the topper—it was a bride who was wearing a jean skirt, cowboy boots and a plaid top, and a groom who was wearing black pants and a shirt that said "I (picture of a heart) AB." They were standing next to each other grinning like fools. Alice had it specially made by some artist that her friend Alexander McFord said was "to die for." Well, everyone loved it and couldn't stop talking about how it looked just like us. I guess it wasn't such a bad find after all.

We took the cutter together and sliced off a piece for us to share. I grabbed the fork and sweetly offered the first bite to my bride. She smiled and let out a loud "mmm!" While the cameras flashed and everyone clapped. When it was my turn, Alice held the cake up between her fingers. I leaned down to take it from her when she smashed it into my face. My jaw dropped—I wasn't expecting her to do that!

I heard people cheering, and in the background I thought I heard Rosalie say something about "getting them when they least expect it" and reminded myself to ask her about that later, or get some sort of revenge.

Emmett was hollering "don't let her get away with that!" And I reacted on instinct—I picked up a piece of cake and pushed it onto her nose. She stepped back and laughed, wiping her face and pointing her finger at me.

"You've got some 'splaining to do, Ricky!" she joked in her best Ricky Ricardo accent.

I offered her a napkin and she wiped her face. Even smeared in butter cream, Alice was a sight to behold. I felt a hand clap my shoulder and I turned to find Mr. Brandon.

"You've done a great job today, Jasper. I know I don't have to warn you about hurting my little girl because you've seen my gun collection. But I did want to tell you that her mother and I are very happy that you chose Alice."

I fought back a blush. "Well sir, it's more like she chose me."

He laughed. "I'm sure there's a lot of truth to that—she always goes after what she wants no matter what."

I nodded. "That's true."

"Daddy, stop scaring Jasper! It's too late, I already tricked him into saying yes," she teased with a wink as she looped her arm through his. "Come on; let's go take a piece of cake over to Grandma Brandon."

I watched them walk away with a smile on my face. Today was truly the best day of my life. Nothing could ruin it for me.

"Alright, party people! Let's take this thing up a notch!" Emmett yelled into the microphone.

Okay, perhaps I might be wrong. God save us all.

**[ Emmett ]**

Booze? _Check_.

Cake? _Check_.

Karaoke? _Check_.

This wedding had all of the essentials for a fan-fucking-tastic party, and other than the fact that I now owed Alice a hundred bucks for shoving cake in Jasper's face, there was nothing that was going to ruin this night.

I will be the first to admit that I got all teary eyed while watching Alice and Jasper profess their undying love for each other, but after all of the emotional bullshit, I was seriously ready to let loose. That would explain why I was now standing on the stage, giving Jasper by best shit-eating grin.

"Alright, party people!" I said in to the microphone, ignoring his exasperated looks. "Let's take this thing up a notch!"

On cue, the DJ started spinning one of the best songs known to mankind, and I casually let my shoulders move around with the beat. Alice screamed from excitement before ditching Jasper, Edward, Rosalie, and Bella to join me on the stage. A few seconds later, the Spider Monkeys, Vicky Tartan, and Jessica were all jumping up and down with the music. I smiled before taking a deep breath and singing.

"Pack it up, pack it in; let me begin. I came to win, battle me? That's a sin! " I continued through the lyrics and then leaned down, letting Alice sing the chorus. Only she didn't just sing the chorus, she stole the whole damned microphone.

"I'll serve your ass like John McEnroe! Your girl steps up, I'm smackin' a ho! Word to your mom, I came to drop bombs! I got more rhymes than a Bible's got Psalms!"

I hadn't ever really gotten into the whole Spider Monkey thing, but seeing Alice throw down _House of Pain_ lyrics made me a little proud; especially when she started waving her arm around, telling people to jump up, jump up, and get down. In a wedding dress. In front of her and Jasper's entire family. Fuckin' A, she was a bad ass.

The song ended and somehow Alice had ended up on my back. I just laughed, letting both of us take a bow, and then made our way off stage. After depositing her in front of Jasper, I reluctantly turned to look at Rosalie who was sitting at the same table, and lowered myself into a chair across the table.

She raised a champagne glass towards me. "Nicely done."

I shrugged, taking my beer bottle. "What can I say? I was born to make people shake their asses to mildly offensive lyrics written by drunken Irishmen."

Rosalie nodded her head before looking down at the table with a small, sad smile on her face.

I should have walked away and found myself somewhere else to sit. Maybe even should have asked one of Jasper's sisters to dance. Instead, when the slow melody started drifting through the garden, I knocked my knuckles against the table, making Rosalie look up at me.

"You said I should save you a dance."

She slowly nodded.

"Well," I sighed before pushing away from the table, "how about it?"

Awkwardly, the two of us made our way on the dance floor. I ignored Alice and Jasper's curious looks and smiles as they danced past us. Rosalie hesitantly reached for my shoulders, but seemed to relax a little when I held on to her waist and took one of her hands in mine. We swayed back and forth for a few seconds before she leaned her head against my shoulder.

I closed my eyes, wishing that I could just let her go and walk away forever. But there was something that kept me there; it kept my arms around her body, my face buried in her hair, and my fucking heart in the palm of her hand.

"Why, Rosalie?" I quietly asked her. "Why couldn't you just let me love you?"

I felt her grip tighten on the back of my shirt. "Emmett…"

I kept us moving, mostly so I wouldn't have to deal with her looking at how pathetic my face must have looked. "I would have been good for you, you know. We both could have been good for each other."

Abruptly, Rosalie pulled away from me, only to grab on to my hand and drag me off the dance floor. I followed behind her, amazed at the way she just shoved people out of our way. Once we'd reached the bathroom that sat at the back of the library, she shoved me inside and locked the door behind us.

"Uh," I looked around. "I'm pretty sure that-"

"I love you."

I stopped talking and just started at her. "What?"

Rosalie took a deep breath before repeating herself. "I love you, Emmett. And for the past… however many months, I've had to keep you at arm's length because if anyone would have found out about us then it could have ruined… everything for two people that I love."

Ok. I was thoroughly confused. "What does… how do the two of us interfere with Alice and Jasper?"

"Not them," she explained. "Two… other people that have been hiding their relationship-I promised them that I would act as a cover so that no one would ever find out. And if people would have seen us together, or known that I was in love with you… it would have ruined the whole thing."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

With a pained look on her face, Rosalie finally admitted what she'd been hiding. "Jacob… and Alexander… they're… together."

My jaw had to have hit the floor.

"Jacob plays this huge heart throb and if people had found out that he was with Alex, then… it could have ruined his career, Emmett! I know that everyone thinks that he is a complete ass, but I really do love him like a brother! He deserves to be happy with whoever he loves!"

"Jacob Black and Alexander McFord?" I asked her, shaking my head. "They're together? Like, _together, together_?"

Rosalie nodded.

"I fucking knew it! I knew he was gay!" I laughed before pacing around the bathroom. "Ask Edward and Jasper, I called this shit years ago! Back when the first _CA_ movie came out and-"

I was stopped by Rosalie's hand grabbing my tie and yanking me around to face her.

"Did you hear what I said?" She shook her head in exasperation. "I fucking love you, Emmett!"

The two of us stood there looking at each other, trying to figure out what the hell any of this meant. And at that exact second we both knew that none of it mattered.

I grabbed Rosalie by the back of the neck and pulled her to me, crushing my lips against hers, and then running my hands down her back. When they reached her ass, I lifted her up to eliminate the height distance. Her legs tried to wrap around my waist, but her damn dress was in the way.

"Don't rip it," she said breathlessly.

I nodded, knowing that we would both have to return to the reception. And we couldn't do that with torn clothes. So instead, I gently sat her back down and carefully pulled the zipper to her dress.

As I did, Rosalie looked up at me. And for the first time since I'd known her, she didn't look like she was ready to take on the world. She looked scared and fragile. She looked intimidated and nervous. It broke my fucking heart.

"You know I won't hurt you, Rosalie."

She nodded, hesitantly. "I know… that's why I… I know. I just _know_… with you."

Carefully, I leaned forward and kissed her. "I love you, Rosalie Hale."

She smiled, holding on to my shoulders. "And I love you. I really, really do."

Suddenly it seemed entirely too cliché that we would hook up in a bathroom at our best friends' wedding. I didn't want that with her. I didn't want our relationship to be that way. So I pulled the zipper back up, smiling at her surprised expression.

"We're doing this the right way from now on," I whispered before kissing her again. "And the next time I make love to you, it will be in a bed. Not up against a wall, on the floor of a limousine, or a fucking bathroom."

Rosalie leaned in to me, resting her head against my chest and wrapping her arms around my sides.

We stood there for God only knows how long, just enjoying the fact that there weren't anymore games between the two of us. There were no more lies, no more secrets. And it felt fucking amazing.

"So now you know," she said quietly, breaking the silence. "Now you know my dirty little secret."

As if she'd pulled a switch in my mind, a light bulb went off and I realized that I also had a dirty little secret. Well, less of a secret and more just dirty.

"Um," slowly, I leaned back, making her look up at me. "I should probably tell you something."

"Okay?"

I shrugged my shoulders before confessing, "I write _Carlisle's Angels_ fan fiction. My penname is Little Debbie and I write dirty smut involving your character."

Rosalie's face was completely blank before she busted out laughing. "_You're_ Little Debbie?"

"Uh," I shrugged. "Yeah?"

She just shook her head before leaning up and kissing me. "The scene you wrote with her and Michael in the shower, do you remember?"

I nodded, remembering quite well.

Rosalie's lips kissed mine again, and then made their way up my jaw until they sat on my ear lobe. "Show me how do to that tonight."

I carefully leaned my head back to look at her. "Are you telling me that you read _Carlisle's Angels_ fan fiction?"

Instead of an answer, she grabbed both sides of my head and pulled my mouth down to hers.

I took that as a yes.

xXxXxXx

**[ Edward ]**

With Bella's head on my shoulder and my arms around her waist, I thought I was in heaven. We'd spent the past hour dancing, laughing, and talking… it was all perfect. And then she leaned back to look up at me and said, "You're a man of many talents, Edward Cullen. I didn't even know you knew how to play the piano."

Shit. That song.

I nodded at her mention of me playing for Alice and Jasper's wedding. It hadn't been something I wanted to do, but Alice had been right. It was perfect for the two of them and it had been a great privilege to play it while they'd had their first dance. "My um… ex-girlfriend taught me to play. That's how we met, actually. Her mom had been my piano instructor and Jen kind of took over lessons when we got older."

"I really liked it," Bella nodded, staring at my shoulder. "You wrote it for them? For Jasper and Alice?"

My shoulder's tensed and I stopped moving to the music. It was a natural reaction for me to shy away from talking about my music. After all, for years I'd been considered a freak by the majority of people that knew me just because I'd written songs for Bella. Back when I didn't even know her.

But standing on that crowded dance floor, with her in my arms, I realized that it didn't really matter what anyone else thought about me. I'd written that song with the most honest intentions and now, all these years later, the women who had inspired it was telling me how much she'd liked it. Why would that make me want to hide the fact that it was about her? That I'd written it for her?

So when Bella's eyes cautiously looked up at me, I took a deep breath. "I didn't write it for Jasper and Alice."

"You didn't?" She quietly asked me.

I shook my head before answering. "I actually wrote it for you."

Bella's hand slowly fell from my shoulder, her eyes hesitantly moved to look up at me. I was worried for a moment that I'd screwed up and scared the shit out of her, but then I saw a faint blush cover her cheeks and a smile creeping out from the corner of her mouth.

"Edward," she breathed as my head leaned into hers. "I… you…"

I nodded before kissing her gently. "You have to know how I feel about you, Bella. How I've _always_ felt about you. I can't keep acting like this isn't… _something_."

"You love me?" She whispered, her voice hardly carrying over the music that played around us.

I nodded and placed another feather light kiss on her lips. "I love you. I'll always love you."

I was nearly thrown backwards by the force of Bella throwing her arms around my neck and kissing me. Hard. But I caught her around the waist and held her against me while our lips molded to each other.

When Bella slowly pulled away from my lips, she whispered, "And, I love you, too."

I smiled before pulling her back to me and covering her mouth with mine.

xXxXxXx

In all of the months, _years_, that I'd imagined being in this situation with Isabella Swan, I'd never thought that I would be this terrified about taking off my clothes. I mean, granted, I didn't have a fabulous body, but I kept myself in pretty good shape. But no matter how many times a day I worked out or how toned I got my body, nothing was going to hide the fucking tattoo that covered my back.

So while Bella stood there, in nothing more than a towel, I wanted to punch myself in the face for being worried about that instead of enjoying the view in front of me.

"You don't have to be nervous."

I nodded, welcoming her into my arms as she slowly walked towards me. The lights from the streets outside provided just enough light for us to see each other but left it dark enough that it didn't feel like we were both being exposed. I kissed Bella's naked shoulder and told myself to just tell her and get it over with. _But what if she freaked out?_ _What if she thought that I was some stalker-ish fan that would post naked pictures of her on the internet? What if—_

My rambling mind came to a complete standstill as Bella started unbuttoning my shirt. She looked up at me, smiling, and I was sure that she could hear my heart absolutely pounding against my ribs.

When her hands slid over my chest, up to my shoulders, and started to push the thin material off of my body, I panicked.

"You have to leave my shirt on."

Bella stopped for a second before laughing. "What?"

_Damnit. _

I took a deep breath, realizing that I was going to have to tell her. Show her. She'd see it eventually anyway, right? So I just let it go and told her. Everything. It was literally like word vomit that I couldn't control.

"I have a tattoo on my back that says 'My Beautiful Swan' that I got when I was drugged by one of Emmett's co-workers and I don't want you to think that I'm some freak that wants to stalk you, or… or… just sees you as a conquest, because I don't! I mean, I am a fan, I've always loved the _CA_ movies and I really enjoyed _Beer for Hippos_, but I promise you that I didn't say that I loved you just so you would sleep with me! I love you, Bella. Like, really, really love you! I want to move to LA and I want to be able to see you every day! I want to wake up with you and fall asleep with you in my arms because… I've never felt like I belong anywhere but with you! You make me feel… normal, Bella. And I-"

Carefully, she covered my mouth with her hand before shaking her head. "Don't you know the rules, Edward?"

I swallowed, thinking that she was about to tell me that she didn't date fans, let alone sleep with them. But I was shocked when she leaned her head to the side and smiled.

"It isn't stalking if you don't get caught," she whispered, leaning towards me to kiss my lips. "And I knew exactly what I was getting into with you from day one."

Bella dropped her towel before grabbing my hand and pulling me with her towards the bed. I smiled, looking dumbstruck, and let Bella Swan pull me in head first. And I knew, beyond a doubt, that I was never, ever, going back.

xXxXxXx

**One Year Later**

**[ Alice ]**

Life is a crazy, wonderful, beautiful thing. It turns you upside down, makes you question your sanity, throws you for a loop, takes you places you'd never even dream of, breaks your heart, lets you fly, reminds you of what's important, and lets you fall in love and share everything with that _one_ person that was specifically made to be with you. Yes, it wasn't always easy. And no, nothing ever turned out how I'd imagined. But there was nothing I would change about the life I'd been given. Not even the two pigs that hadn't turned out to be that miniature after all.

Waking up in my own bed, after being away for two weeks while filming, was pretty close to perfection. Throw in a husband with the beginnings of a scruffy beard that was holding me against his chest while he silently slept, two pigs that snored from their bed on the floor, and the sweet smell of coffee brewing downstairs, and I was one happy girl.

"Japser," I whispered.

He just mumbled something under his breath, ignoring me.

I tried again, this time running my foot up his calf and then back down to his ankle. "Jasper."

One eye barely opened, but I smiled, knowing he could see me. "I'm home."

He smiled, my favorite lazy smile, and kissed my forehead. "I didn't want to wake you up when I got home. I knew you had to be exhausted."

I shook my head, telling him that it was fine and then placed a quick kiss on his lips before sitting up and looking around the bedroom. His clothes were scattered all over the floor, along with a bag full of records that looked mighty tempting.

Jasper, who had been so completely sure that he wouldn't be able to find anything in LA, had landed the perfect job. I was the proud wife of the midnight to four AM DJ at one of the most amazing Indie rock stations that LA had. Nine times out of ten we would end up at the radio station together, singing along with the music and making silly plans for our future. Jasper thought I was kidding, but one day he would take me to see the world's largest ketchup bottle. He'd promised after all.

But today I had to focus; we all had to focus, because today was going to be huge. After so many years of wishing and hoping, Edward Cullen was moving out of the Monkey house and into his very own luxury apartment with the one and only Bella Swan. _Finally._

"Are you hungry?" I asked while patting his t-shirt covered belly. "I am starving and craving pancakes! We have to get in a good breakfast. It's moving day!"

He grabbed my hand before laughing. "And why are you so excited about lugging around Edward and Bella's furniture?"

"Oh, I won't be doing any heavy lifting, darling." I got out of bed, kissed the piggies, and then slid into my house shoes. "That's what you and Emmett are for."

I left Jasper laughing in bed and smiled as Pearl and Snap followed me into the kitchen, knowing that I would give them part of the pancakes I made even though their father constantly told me that I shouldn't share our food with them.

xXxXxXx

"Emmett, you're going to throw out your back if you-"

"Rosalie, I swear to God! I know what the hell I'm doing!"

She huffed before crossing her arms across her chest and watched as he and Jasper tried to manage their way into the service elevator with Edward's couch. I just smiled, loving the fact that not a lot had changed between the two of them. Except for the fact that they both finally admitted how absolutely perfect they were for each other!

Although Rosalie still had her stubborn independent streak that forced Emmett to rent a stupid little apartment that he only spent maybe five days out of the month at, the two of them had really gotten used to the whole "relationship" thing.

Emmett, who had moved to LA without any sort of plan, spent six months sleeping in our guest room, and tried to find out where his life out here was headed. Within a few days, he'd taken an extreme liking to our pigs and fallen into the role of my personal trainer. Soon after, after someone had asked me who had whipped my ass into shape, Emmett had collected a very nice array of celebrity clients. He was now one of the most sought after trainers in LA, carried a picture of Pearl and Snap in his wallet, and still came over to our house every Sunday for breakfast and pigs/Emmett time.

I loved it.

We rode in the elevator, talking about plans for lunch and placing bets as to why Edward and Bella had been unreachable all morning. After all, this was their moving day. Emmett and Rosalie both said the same thing, that they were too busy "humping like rabbits" to answer their phones. Jasper, being the gentleman, said something about them being up until all hours because of the painting that they'd wanted to do. I sat there with my hands clasped in front of my stomach and just smiled. I loved Jasper, but my money was on Rosalie and Emmett. Bella and Edward had a hard time keeping their hands off of each other.

Once we'd reached their floor, I helped Rosalie guide the guys out of the elevator. We knocked on the door three times before letting ourselves into the apartment using the key that Bella had given me. Rosalie hadn't even made it past the front hallway when she screamed, covered her eyes, and started backing up. That bumped me into Jasper, who accidently dropped his end of the couch. The sudden unbalanced weight left Emmett fumbling with his end that eventually dropped, landing directly on his foot while forcing his body into the doorway.

"Fucking….DAMNIT, JASPER!"

"I couldn't help it! Alice accidently bumped into me, and-"

"PUT SOME FUCKING CLOTHES ON!"

The three of us turned at the sound of Rosalie's voice to find Bella wrapped in a canvas drop cloth, Edward covering himself with a paint can, and both of them covered in blue, green, and eggplant paint splotches.

Jasper covered his face with his hands. Rosalie kept ranting about people being naked. And Emmett, poor Emmett, begged for someone to help him get the couch off of his foot.

"Alice, help him," Rosalie sighed, waving me towards him.

"Uh," I shrugged my shoulders and smiled. "I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" Emmett asked me. "Just freaking lift!"

I shook my head, smiling at Japer, who was now beet red, but giving me a sly grin in return. "Sorry guys, no heavy lifting for the next eight months or so."

"What?"

"What?"

"Are you-"

"YOU'RE PREGNANT!"

There was a commotion while everyone tried to hug us at once, but the second that we heard the paint can hit the floor, we all covered our faces and waited for Edward to find his paint-covered clothes.

I giggled while I hid my face against Jasper's shoulder and couldn't help but smile at how our lives had ended up. Our crazy, wonderful, amazing, beautiful lives that were just starting to get really interesting.

XxXxXx

**JFI: I can never explain how much I have loved being the voice of Emmett, Edward, and Alice for this story. Emmett is a whole lot of me, Edward is a small part of my fangirl mentality that I keep hidden in the closet, and Alice is all of my random mumblings that always find a way to the surface. I've enjoyed getting to know so many of you and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it. One last time, with feeling, Viva La Fanboy!**

**LMW: Wow, what a trip this has been! It has been an honest pleasure being the voice behind Jasper, Bella, Rosalie, and the occasional Edward moments! It's been a great and relieving exercise to share some of my fangirl moments through Jasper, and to bring these characters to life in a world that we've all created ourselves. Thank YOU for being inspirations, support groups, cheerleaders, readers, and friends. I know it took us some time in the end to get it all together, but it's an honor to have taken this journey with each and every one of you!**

**And one more time for the kids in the back, "Pics or it didn't happen!"**


	40. Clogging, Fanclubs, and Engagements

**Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight, but we _kinda_ own the creative movie titles we've come up with. These outtakes all take place at different times but we wanted to share them with you!**

**[****Jasper****]** (taking place prior to the wedding)

It was Alice's big idea to surprise my parents with a weekend visit. Don't get me wrong, I was happy that she enjoyed being around my family. And it seemed like my family was starting to love her more than they loved me, which was a big deal. I'm Jasper Whitlock, Angel of the Whitlock clan and the apple of my Mama's eye. So when she'd started calling and texting Alice over me, I won't lie—my heart may have broken a tiny bit.

So when we got off the plane, I couldn't help but scan my eyes around the airport. I'd gotten way more protective over Alice in the last few weeks—she was tiny and often times the paparazzi would pull a sneak attack on her. She's not fragile by any means, and can usually handle a crowd, and of course she could own the paparazzi with her charm and gorgeous smile. But part of me couldn't help it—she was the most precious thing to me and I wasn't about to let someone mess that up for me.

Alice slapped me lightly on my arm. "Calm down there, tiger. We're alright."

She was so intuitive that she already knew what I was thinking. Did I mention that I was in love with her? Yeah.

I grabbed our bags and we caught a taxi. Alice was vibrating in her seat and I couldn't help but grin at the thought that my girl was excited.

"Oh I know I have it in here somewhere," she muttered while she rummaged around in her duffle bag sized-purse that was almost as big as she was.

"What, hon?"

"Oh, I told your sister I'd bring her something the next time I saw her, and I know I put it in here somewhere."

I laughed. "It'll be alright."

As soon as the taxi pulled up Alice all but bolted out of the car. My dad had come to the porch to check out all the commotion. I heard him call for Mama and she came out, her hand shielding her eyes.

"Jasper, Alice, is that you?" she called.

I waved at my Mom as she started down the steps and across the yard. Alice took off at a sprint and they collided with each other in a big bear hug and squeals.

Dad came over and helped me with the bags and a clap to the shoulder. "What a surprise," he said with a smile on his face as he looked over at the ladies.

"It was Alice's idea; I can't take credit for it."

"Either way, I know this will make your Mama and sisters happy for a long time."

We all stepped into the house where another madhouse erupted. My sisters jumped all over Alice and another round of giggles ignited. Dad and I settled down in the living room and turned on the television.

A little while later I heard loud cackling in the kitchen followed by screams of "Oh my God" and "I can't believe this." You know that sick feeling in your stomach when you feel like you're about to be embarrassed? I had that.

As they got louder, I knew I had to check things out. When I walked into the kitchen, I shouldn't have been surprised by what I saw. I mean, really, I was more surprised that this hadn't happened before.

Sprawled out all over the table were photo albums. The girls were all pointing at certain ones and telling stories about each of them. I just knew these had to be the ones of me from my younger years.

"Look at how poofy his hair was!" Alice said between laughs.

I wanted to be mad at her. Or embarrassed. Or both. But I couldn't bring myself to act like that—she was just so…happy.

"Aww he was four years old here and this is his first tricycle," Mama cooed, fingering the picture with a nostalgic look on her page.

"Oh…oh this is gold right here," my sister said as she pulled a picture away from her chest and they all threw their heads back, cackling.

Alice started wiping tears from her eyes as Mama held her side. "Oh, Alice, honey, this was back when Jasper was about twelve years old. I wanted him to have some dance experience, so I went to sign him up for ballroom dancing, or something that would help give him grace. But they were all full. I saw a flier outside the grocery store one day for these dance lessons and I signed him up." She had to take a breath before looking at the picture again. "He hated the idea that he had to take dance lessons, and he hated it even more when he found out they were clogging lessons."

My face turned bright red as the howling started up round two. Alice looked over and caught me eavesdropping and tried to wipe the tears off her face again.

"Oh, Jasper, look how…handsome…you were!"

I knew exactly the picture she was talking about. Mama had prided herself on making my own costumes for the recitals, and in this one I was wearing white pants and a white shirt with a red sequined vest and matching bow tie and hat. She had sewn each sequin on by hand, and as much as I hated her for it, I must have been smart enough to humor her because in the picture I'm posed like I am saying "Tada! Here I am!"

If Emmett ever caught wind of this photo, I would be a dead man.

Mama looked to me. "I hope you're not embarrassed, Jas; you were definitely the most attractive and best clogger in the group!"

My sisters were holding onto each other for dear life.

I tried to put on a brave front, but inside I was absolutely mortified that Alice was seeing pictures of me in my awkward stages. I was chubby there, and liked to think I had grown into a much better looking man since then. I knew this day would come when she'd see the pictures, but I had hoped by then we'd be legally married and she wouldn't be able to run away from me as easily.

"I was going through a phase then," I mumbled, going to stand next to Alice and peeking at other pictures on the page.

Of course. Me wearing a horrible Christmas sweater opening gifts, me with my third place science project, and another of me performing in the church's Christmas pageant.

"Jasper, these are so wonderful; thank you, Mama, for showing these to me. I already know so much about Jasper, but these really show me a side of him I never dreamed of."

"It was my pleasure, sweetie. Really, Jasper might not think it, but he was always quite a catch. The girls swarmed around him," Mama said.

I shook my head. "It's only because they thought I was related to that guy from *NSync—at least that's what Peter and I told them; apparently it worked."

Alice shook her head at me as she kissed me on my cheek. "Anyway, you were such a doll, and I know our kids are gonna one day look as handsome as their daddy."

My heart stopped right there. Of course I'd always dreamed of having children with Alice Brandon. But to hear those words come from her lips?

Perhaps her seeing these pictures wasn't as bad an idea as I thought.

**[****Bella****]** (taking place after the wedding sometime)

I was bloody tired. My body had been going non-stop, and I didn't really take as good of care of myself as I should. I'd stopped eating all the In-N-Out Burger that I used to, but it still wasn't helping. The only things I'd lost were a few pounds and my sanity.

We'd been filming _Metropolis_for what felt like months, and I missed being at home in my apartment. I missed curling up on the couch with a good book, or playing my guitar. But there was something else I missed even more.

Edward.

After finally finding the one thing that was missing in my life, I didn't want to be without him. I understood that he had his own life and his own job and I couldn't possibly expect him to be at my side every second of every day. Although that would be quite lovely.

We'd text during the day and talk at night, if I wasn't filming until 5 or 6 am. I wanted him to visit the set, but I was worried that the press would have a field day, and maybe he wasn't ready for that yet.

What I was really worried about was that he would get scared off and I'd be alone and without him.

My mind's wandering was stopped by my ringing phone. I picked it up and glanced at the screen.

"Carlisle?" I asked. I hadn't heard from him in a while and hoped all was well.

"Bella, hello, sweetheart! How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, how are you? And how is Esme?"

I heard him chuckle on the other end. "We are doing great, thanks. I know things have been busy, and I saw on the internet that you've been very busy filming—I just wanted to invite you and Edward over for a game night when you're back in town. Esme misses having all her girls together, and Alice and Rosalie have already agreed."

"Oh, of course! That sounds wonderful!"

"Great—she'll be glad to hear it! How are you doing up there in the cold?"

I sighed. "The cold is fine—I just miss everyone and everything back home."

"Ah, I recognize that tone."

I settled back on my chair and crossed my legs, getting more comfortable. "Carlisle, can I ask you a question?"

"Always."

"How do you deal with being apart from someone for so long? How do you do it when you're filming Dr. Jack and Esme is not with you?"

"It's never easy, Bella. I'm sorry that this is difficult for you. But it is true what they say—absence makes the heart grow fonder. At least you can talk on the phone or Skype on the computer. Just hang in there—I can't tell you that it will get easier, because it doesn't always. Just know that Edward is definitely missing you just as much as you are missing him."

"How do you know?" I asked softly.

"Oh, because I called him the other day to check on him and he went on and on and on about you," he teased. "You're a lucky girl, Bella Swan."

I smiled to myself. "That I am."

I chatted with Carlisle for a little while longer before I was called to set. After what seemed like hours later, and probably was, I was heading back to my trailer when I heard a group of girls calling my name. I turned to smile at them as they waved me over. I greeted them all while reaching into my pocket for my go to, a Sharpie Permanent marker.

"How are you all doing?" I asked them.

They giggled before one girl bravely answered. "I'm great! My name is Kara, and I am a HUGE fan! Seriously, I love all your films!"

"Oh, thank you! I'm so happy to meet you, Kara. Would you like to take a picture with me?"

Her eyes lit up like the Fourth of July. "Oh yes, yes I would! Thank you!"

After taking a picture, her friend nudged her. "We wanted to know…"

"Mmhmm."

"Well, we wanted to know if, well, if Edward was here?" she squeaked the end of the sentence.

I frowned. "No, he's not, I'm sorry."

"We just love him!" Kara cut in. "You two are so perfect together and you can tell you really love each other. And he's so cute! You're so lucky, Bella."

I nodded. "Yes, I am very lucky. I'll tell him he's got a growing fan base out there."

"Growing? Oh goodness, our Edward Cullen Fans Facebook page has over 1,000 friends and grows everyday! He's a superstar all on his own!"

I spent a little more time with the girls before heading back to my trailer to relax for a few hours. I found the link for the Edward Cullen Fans Facebook page and e-mailed it over to Edward.

_E,_

_I met some new friends tonight who think you're as great as I do. I wish you were here, and I can't wait to come home. If by chance you've got some free time, I'd love for you to come visit. Carlisle told me that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but I'd rather not test that theory anymore._

_Missing you always,  
Bella_

Carlisle was right—it wasn't ever going to be easy being away from him, but at least until we were together again I could stalk him on Facebook.

[ Emmett ]

Another premiere, another tuxedo, and another night of watching dumbass people try to grab at Rosalie, Bella, and Alice. And to think, I used to be one of those dumbasses. Amazing how things change.

After all these years, the _Carlise's__Angels_ series was coming to an end. Part two of _Mended__Dusk_ was set to be a huge hit at the box office and everyone had been touring nonstop to promote the film. And tonight was the last ever red carpet.

Poor Alice, who was six months pregnant, waddled around, stopping to take pictures and sign autographs. Jasper followed behind her, doing a better job of security than the people that the studio had actually hired.

Bella and my brother were the same as they always were, closed off in their own little bubble. The fans, the press... none of it could get beyond the little protective universe that existed only between the two of them.

And then there was Rosalie. Still too stubborn to admit when she was wrong, too prideful to let people help her, and still one hundred percent in love with yours truly. Thank God.

There was no more drama with Jake and Alexander, both of which had turned out to be pretty cool guys. The whole damn world now knew that they were in a relationship together and that left Rosalie free of the promise she had made to help keep their secret, completely available to make out with in public, and one hundred percent mine. Within twenty-four hours of the Jake and Alex news breaking, I had made it a point to be photographed as much as possible with my hands on Rosalie's ass and my tongue in her mouth. She was mine and now everyone knew it. That explained why I was holding her little sequined bag as she posed for the photographers lining the red carpet.

I stood there and watched as my girlfriend showed off her greatest _ass_et while turning in a little circle and couldn't help but smile. Rosalie Hale might have been a serious pain in the ass, but she was _my_ pain in the ass, and nothing short of me falling over dead was going to change that. The little blue box that I'd been carrying around in my pocket for the last month made that obviously clear...if she said yes.

"What do you think of Rosalie's dress?" One of the press members asked me.

I just smiled while taking my girl's hand and pulling her closer to me. "She's fucking perfect."

Rosalie rolled her eyes at my expletives but smiled against my lips when I kissed her.

xXxXxXx

Through the whole entire movie, I sat and thought about when and where I should ask Rosalie to marry me. Obviously, somewhere public was out. I wasn't about to share that moment with the entire fucking world like my idiot best friend had. So while I sat there gnawing on my thumbnail, wondering how in the world I was supposed to do this, Rosalie kept hitting my elbow with hers.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She whispered. "You look like you're about to throw up."  
I could have made some smart ass remark about all of the sex that was happening between Bella and Jacob's characters; that's what I normally would have done. But since all I could think about was not screwing up this proposal, my witty comebacks were at a minimum. And instead of being able to convincingly lie to Rosalie, all I could do was shake my head and mutter something that sounded like, "I need to go outside."

Jasper and Edward gave me looks of concern as I exited our row of seats with Rosalie following behind me. I shook my head at their questions, tripped over Jacob's fucking foot, face-planted in the aisle, and then tried not to cry like a little girl when people blatantly turned around and looked at me. By the time we had made it outside, I all but dragged her to our waiting limousine and got inside.

"Emmett... what... Are you okay?"

I looked at her for all of three seconds before blurting out the first thing I could think of. "Rosalie, will you fucking marry me?"

Her eyes widened and then she started laughing. "Are you serious? You can't be serious."

"I am really fucking serious." Pulling the box out of my jacket pocket, I showed her the ring that I'd picked out. "I've been trying to figure out how to ask you and I just... I can't be the overly romantic guy that lays you on a bed of roses and makes every other dude on this planet look like a douche bag, Rosalie. I am the douche bag!"

She was completely focused on what I was holding and nervously laughed when I pulled it out of the box.

"Hey," I said quietly, lifted her chin so that she was looking at me. "I love you, you know that. I'm not going to promise you that things will always be easy, because they won't. But no matter how shitty life gets, you will always have me to stand beside you."

A big fat tear escaped the corner of Rosalie's eye and she slowly nodded her head.

Feeling a little more confident, I asked, "Will you marry me?"

She slowly nodded, laughed as I slid the ring on her finger, and then pushed me back against the door with the force of her hug.

xXxXxXx

"Exciting news today for one of the three _Carlisle__'__s__Angels_ leading ladies! E! can exclusively confirm that Rosalie Hale was in fact married at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas! This all happened last night after the _Mended__Dusk_ world premiere and apparently came as a complete shock to those closest to the Hollywood actress. We were told that Rosalie wed her longtime boyfriend, Emmett Cullen, who is the older brother of Bella Swan's boyfriend, Edward. Rosalie is the second of the _CA_ trio to get married, following the footsteps of Alice Brandon. Alice and her husband, Jasper, are expecting their first child in just a few short months."

I smiled, watching as Rosalie nervously bit her bottom lip and finished watching the E! News segment that broke the big news to the world. Soon enough we would both be bombarded with phone calls from family, friends… Esme. All of them wondering why we hadn't told anyone about our decision to fly to Vegas and get married.

"Do you regret it?" I asked once she had turned off the TV.

Rosalie gave me a small smile before shaking her head. "It was perfect."

Gently, I pulled her closer to me and slowly kissed her. "_Fucking_ perfect."

**JFI and LMW wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and the rest of the season! We're so thankful for each other, for all of you, and for all the blessings in our lives.**


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